Obtaining my license was one of the most important accomplishments in my life. Being able to travel anywhere at any time and do what I wanted gave me a sense of freedom. I felt as if I was a bird that had been freed from its cage. I personally knew many people who didn't like driving but that wasn't the case with me. I loved to drive and I wasn't scared to do so. I was confident in my driving abilities but now that I think back on it, I was possibly too confident. My confidence in the end was what caused a lot of trouble. I feel that if I was more careful with how I drove and was less confident about my driving, everything would have been better in the end. What happened, next, changed my life and changed my driving habits, forever.

The story starts around June 2017. It was a beautiful day, and the sun gleefully smiled down upon the earth. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and a slight breeze tickled the back of my neck. I had just woken up so I glanced at my phone. I saw a message from my friend Makenzie that said: “Do you want to come over at 7 for a bonfire?”

“Can I go to Makenzie’s for a bonfire?” I asked my mom.
“You can go if you do your chores.” she responded.
“When don’t I do my chores?” I sarcastically replied.

I was very excited to go to the bonfire, since all my friends were going to be there. Later, I learned that excitement can cloud your sense of responsibility. After I finished mowing the lawn, vacuuming, and cleaning my room, I ate dinner and decided I was going to leave.

At 4 PM my mom said,

“Don’t forget, I parked behind you.”

“I got this, don’t worry.” I replied.

I had been very thrilled to go to the bonfire, so I rushed to my white Jeep Renegade with red tow hooks and turned it on. I put my car into reverse without checking what was behind me. *BANG* I heard as I slammed on the brakes. I hurriedly put my car in park, turned it off, and undid my seatbelt. What have I done? I will be in so much trouble. Instantly, shock grabbed a hold of my body, paralyzing me. It took me about a minute to actually process what had happened. I had been so excited to go see my friends, that I had forgotten that my mom had parked behind me. I had been so focused on the bonfire that I became careless in my driving. In that moment, I had lost all credibility in my mind that I was a good driver. I got out of my car slowly to check the destruction I had inflicted. I recognized that no damage had been done to my Jeep but, there was a puncture mark in my mom’s front bumper. The plastic had been pushed in and styrofoam padding could be seen. I had been lucky because only the tow hook had hit my mom’s car and not my bumper. I was lucky in a sense because only one car was damaged and not both of them.

I immediately sprinted into my house and told my mom that I had damaged her car. My mom was furious and she asked me how I was so careless. I didn’t have anything to say, so I went to my room and sat silently sinking into my thoughts. During that time I realized that this whole situation could’ve been prevented if I was more careful. I was full of instant regret and I hated how I had been so stupid and careless. I was not as good at driving as I thought. Being cocky had led to me hitting my mom’s car. I was cocky, oh so very cocky. Cocky didn’t even begin to describe it.

Thinking back on this moment I feel regret, because this could’ve been prevented if I wasn’t in such a hurry. I was rushing to get to the bonfire and I didn’t take the time to be careful. Shortly after the accident, my dad had told me to always look in my rearview camera. Now, every time I put my car in reverse, I check my rear-view camera and I look over both my shoulders. Without this accident, I never would’ve been more careful, and a worse accident could have occurred. As the result of the accident, I was taught a valuable lesson, which is to always be careful.

This lesson applies to everyone in the world. If someone isn’t careful, consequences can follow their actions. Consequences that are caused from being careless, can transform a person’s life entirely by assigning a punishment for their actions. Punishments change your quality of life and make you consider your future actions. In the end this accident was nobody’s fault but my own, and this shows that your actions may have consequences beyond your control.