James Roesinger
Invincible
The car is a symbol of freedom and for the first time in my life making decisions without parental advisory. I could listen to any type of music, drive any speed I felt comfortable at knowing the consequences of getting caught going to fast, take whatever roads I felt were the quickest, and even decide whether to go through the intersection when the light had been yellow before I entered. My parents allowed me to be an active, social teenager by paying for my car a 1998 green Honda Accord and allowing me to put expenses on the credit card to fill up my tank every other week in high school. It is one of those things now I look back on and say man I truly didn’t understand just how well I had it. Everything was going great in my new career as a driver, some might have thought that I was driving Jeff Gordon’s race car rather than a Honda Accord but for the first few months I had no tickets or accidents so I figured I was invincible. I’m sure I thought to my self no way will you get caught for speeding or no only dumb drivers get in accidents, well I soon learned I was no Superman.
It was the first big snowfall of the winter, after my last final when my driving career made an immediate 360 degree turn from that day forward. I was so happy that I was finished with finals and so happy to be on Christmas break. I get into my car and am off like Lightening McQueen zooming past people trying to look good. Now most of us know that when there is snow on the ground handling a car is more difficult and tends to slide, well thinking I was invincible I go into the turn with a full head of steam. There in lies the problem, the turn was on a hill and to sharp for a car without 4-wheel drive. I spin out in three circles across on coming traffic and hit the guard rail. My mind was blank; I was in shock and didn’t know what to do. This was the first time I was in an accident; I didn’t know what to do. I sat for a few minutes and tried to figure out what had just occurred. I was lucky to be unharmed and for that matter alive because usually this road had a steady flow of traffic. For some reason during this particular incident there was no one, maybe one reason why my faith is what it is today because I am still amazed by this whole situation.
After I snapped out of shock I decided to make the phone call to my parents which to this day they will still tell me that any time I call them on a road trip they are nervous. Nervous because they think it will be the same call I gave them on this day stating I had been in an accident. Mom was the first to answer and she became very emotional asking if I was hurt telling me not to move. I replied to her responses by explaining I was fine but I do not know so much about the car. They were loving parents so they came to the location immediately. They gave me a hug and allow I was embarrassed because I had created a traffic jam with angry drivers, I was glad to get a hug from my mom saying it would be okay.
As I stated before I was lucky to be uninjured and alive because I am sure if I watched that happen again I would be in the same shock as I was when it happened. This accident though changed my driving style from Jeff Gordon to what I would call a soccer mom driving style, which includes leaving early to make sure you can get there on time, and going the speed limit to assure safety. It is a shame that it took this accident for me to realize this but at 16 years of age I guess you could say I just didn’t know any better, I was invincible.
Invincible
The car is a symbol of freedom and for the first time in my life making decisions without parental advisory. I could listen to any type of music, drive any speed I felt comfortable at knowing the consequences of getting caught going to fast, take whatever roads I felt were the quickest, and even decide whether to go through the intersection when the light had been yellow before I entered. My parents allowed me to be an active, social teenager by paying for my car a 1998 green Honda Accord and allowing me to put expenses on the credit card to fill up my tank every other week in high school. It is one of those things now I look back on and say man I truly didn’t understand just how well I had it. Everything was going great in my new career as a driver, some might have thought that I was driving Jeff Gordon’s race car rather than a Honda Accord but for the first few months I had no tickets or accidents so I figured I was invincible. I’m sure I thought to my self no way will you get caught for speeding or no only dumb drivers get in accidents, well I soon learned I was no Superman.
It was the first big snowfall of the winter, after my last final when my driving career made an immediate 360 degree turn from that day forward. I was so happy that I was finished with finals and so happy to be on Christmas break. I get into my car and am off like Lightening McQueen zooming past people trying to look good. Now most of us know that when there is snow on the ground handling a car is more difficult and tends to slide, well thinking I was invincible I go into the turn with a full head of steam. There in lies the problem, the turn was on a hill and to sharp for a car without 4-wheel drive. I spin out in three circles across on coming traffic and hit the guard rail. My mind was blank; I was in shock and didn’t know what to do. This was the first time I was in an accident; I didn’t know what to do. I sat for a few minutes and tried to figure out what had just occurred. I was lucky to be unharmed and for that matter alive because usually this road had a steady flow of traffic. For some reason during this particular incident there was no one, maybe one reason why my faith is what it is today because I am still amazed by this whole situation.
After I snapped out of shock I decided to make the phone call to my parents which to this day they will still tell me that any time I call them on a road trip they are nervous. Nervous because they think it will be the same call I gave them on this day stating I had been in an accident. Mom was the first to answer and she became very emotional asking if I was hurt telling me not to move. I replied to her responses by explaining I was fine but I do not know so much about the car. They were loving parents so they came to the location immediately. They gave me a hug and allow I was embarrassed because I had created a traffic jam with angry drivers, I was glad to get a hug from my mom saying it would be okay.
As I stated before I was lucky to be uninjured and alive because I am sure if I watched that happen again I would be in the same shock as I was when it happened. This accident though changed my driving style from Jeff Gordon to what I would call a soccer mom driving style, which includes leaving early to make sure you can get there on time, and going the speed limit to assure safety. It is a shame that it took this accident for me to realize this but at 16 years of age I guess you could say I just didn’t know any better, I was invincible.
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