My first car was an extra family car that I got when I was 17. It was a 2014 Mazda 3 and my parents bought it on March 31, 2014, just four days after I passed my driving test. For the past two years, I have created some really fun (and not so fun) memories in that car, so I decided to share some of them to bring awareness to teenagers everywhere (especially my 17-year-old brother and sister, who just got their licenses this year) that just because you have a car does not mean you can drive dangerously.
At my high school, juniors and seniors are allowed to drive to school. There was a strip mall down the street from school that had a Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Burger King, I would go to one of these places every day. One day, I went to Starbucks after school, and I hit the curb and got a flat tire. I did not know what to do, so I drove about a mile and a half on a flat tire before pulling into my town's post office, when the entire tire came off. I had totally destroyed my rim and I told my parents that I hit a pot hole in the school parking lot. I called a tow truck and they put a donut on the rim. When my parents took it to the shop to get fixed, the mechanics told my parents that it was physically and scientifically impossible that a pothole would do that much damage, and I hit something else. After spending a couple thousand dollars, my parents were pretty mad at me for lying to them about what really happened. Sorry, mom and dad.
In September 2014, I had just started my senior year of high school. My siblings and I attended three different high schools (I went to the public high school, my brother goes to an all boys Jesuit school in Jersey City, and my sister goes to one of the best private schools in the state of NJ). My parents gave me a credit card so I could get gas and use it for emergencies. One day, my gas tank was close to empty and I had misplaced my credit card, so I asked my brother if I could borrow his, and he said no. I stupidly got onto the highway anyway, and my car started stalling. I pulled onto the exit lane and ran out of gas. Imagine being stuck in an exit lane during rush hour traffic. I started crying, and my brother and I started calling our parents to tell them what happened. I once again had to call the Mazda support people and get a tow truck to come save the day. My mom was at my sister's volleyball game and they came to where we were. My mom and I traded cars so I could get my brother and sister home and go to my SAT class while my mom waited for the tow truck. My parents were not happy with me, but I definitely learned my lesson—do not lose your credit card and do not drive when your gas light is on.
I have hit numerous shopping carts and scrapped my tires on curbs. Even though I'm still inexperienced, I'm an overall a good driver. I like to thank my driving mistakes for teaching me valuable driving lessons.
For any new drivers, please be careful. Driving is a privilege, NOT a right, and you can seriously hurt, or even worse, kill yourself or others. Also, do not lie to your parents about what happened to your car, because they are the ones who are most likely paying for the car, and they have been driving longer than you have.
