CSUMB Speed Demon Finally Slows Down

Claire Crosbie, Staff Reporter

Claire_Crosbie@csumb.edu

April 17, 2008

I used to question stories where

someone’s life “flashed before their

eyes.” However, after recklessly

driving as a result of cell phone use,

I no longer question that saying.

I used to think I was invincible

and that I could never make stupid

mistakes like almost hitting my boss

or running a red light. I strongly

believed that I was the perfect driver

and an accident was impossible,

when in reality, no one is a perfect

driver and a life-changing accident

could happen at any second.

My first accident happened

because I was on my cell phone.

I took my eyes off the road for a

couple of seconds and tried to send

a text message. Those couple of

seconds of poor judgment caused

me to slam my car into the back of

another car, full of children. As I

pulled over to the side of the road,

I felt so ashamed and humiliated of

my careless action. The accident

did not result in death or injuries,

but it was a severe lesson and I

learned to stay off that phone of

mine while driving.

The second accident, however,

was more serious and included five

police cars, an ambulance, a fire

truck and a helicopter. No, I was

not on my phone this time around.

This time, it was way too dark and

I was trying to get home way too

fast. I was driving back to Monterey

around 12 a.m. on a slow but steady

freeway. In preparation for a safe

exit, I switched off all electronics

and turned my atention to be fully

on the road. But, I forgot to take

my speed into consideration. As my

exit approached, my speed grew

faster. Then, in what felt like five

seconds, all 20 years of my life

flashed before my eyes.

After seeing the exit sign at a

speed of 75 mph, I quickly swerved

to the next lane in front of another

car. Putting both the safety of

myself and the other cars on the

road into consideration, I pushed

on the breaks in an effort to slow

down for the exit as well as avoid

being rear-ended by the car behind

me. After attempting to make a

55 mph turn onto a 20 mph exit, I

freaked out and tried to turn back

onto the freeway; but I landed in an

irrigation ditch instead.

While I thought this was the

end of my nightmare, due to the

car’s inertia after it hit the ditch,

the momentum propelled my car

forward only 2 feet from another

onramp. All of this happened in an

instant, but yet I felt like everything

moved in slow motion, especially

when the airbags deployed. After

landing 2 feet away from what

could have been my death, I sat in

my car in a state of shock. I did not

call the police; instead, I called my

sister. I tried to explain what had

happened as I panicked over every

pain I felt on my body.

Police officers finally showed up

20 minutes later to find me shaking

with tears pouring down my face. It

did not take all of the police officers

and fire fighters for me to realize

I was lucky to be alive, it was

seeing the scene of the accident as I

walked away.

Both my accidents occurred

because I was not able to think

clearly under intense pressure.

Most accidents on the road occur

as a result of ones alertness being

diminished by distractions, one

including the use of a cell phone.

On September 15, 2006,

Governor Schwarzenegger signed

bill SB-1613 or the California

Wireless Telephone Automobile

Safety Act of 2006. Starting July 1

of this year, the bill will prohibit the

use of cell phones while operating

a vehicle, unless drivers are using a

hands free device. According to the

bill, a fine of $20 will be charged

for the first offense and $50 for each

subsequent offense. Although the

fine will not affect one’s insurance

after receiving the ticket, this bill

should be taken seriously and

will help the prevention of future

unnecessary accidents.

The point of this was not to

publicly announce that I am a bad

driver, and most embarrassing,

an “Asian driver”, it is to remind

everyone that life is indeed too

short. Cell phones and cars can be

replaced, but your life can not.

Nothing is more significant than

your life, not even a text message

or a phone call from your crush. If

the call is too important to miss, pull

over and take care of it, or better

yet, purchase a hands free device.

It might be wasting some driving

time or money, but those simple

actions may save your life, or more

important, someone else’s life.