My #@$%#$%&^%#%@ Driving Experience

So, I’ve been driving a car, an old Toyota Corolla 1.6 GLi, for the past 3 weeks and I can say that, it had cost me a lot of trouble and almost my Life!!!

Here it goes, my parents bought me a car, ‘cause I’ve decided to go into med school. Yes, I’m taking up medicine where classes have started just last month. So, my fully tuned up car, as i may describe it, has been driven here at the city where I am taking med by my father, and has been left under my care. I had enough experience driving a car and was trained by a professional driver before. I was driving an Isuzu ELF, yeah, a truck, which is a lot bigger than a usual car. I didn’t have any difficulty adjusting to it.

First week was awesome, knowing that I’ll be driving my own car, to places like school, malls, and every where else i wanna go to. It was during the first week when I had my first accident. It was on my way home; I had a friend sitting on the passenger’s seat. On a crossing,  it is just but normal for a car to slow down to check if there are other cars wanting to cross or bend in on a curve. I was slowing down and I noticed that a single motor was on my tail. There were two people on the motorcycle, not anyone of them wearing a helmet. So, an acceptable norm, I was slowing down, for there was a tricycle waiting on the crossing to make a U-turn, i think, and this motorcycle behind me was so close on my car’s back, that it didn’t have any allowance to turn the steering stick (IDK the term) away in case i would bring the car to a full stop. And in addition, I had a big sticker on my car’s back that says: KEEP DISTANCE. So, while approaching the crossing, I was slowing down, just like any other defensive driver would do. Then in a split of a second, the motorcycle bumped into my car’s back and the two persons on the bike fell of the motorcycle. I immediately stopped and parked the car on the side to check the severity of the accident. I’m a nurse and I really was into emergency nursing when I was still in college, so first aid shouldn’t be a problem for me. So, i went out and checked on the two. None of them were hurt seriously, just the driver of the bike, who had sustained a minor cut on his foot. I asked them if they were allright and they responded that everything is fine. They voluntarily admitted that it’s their fault and they shouldn’t be angry about anything of it. The bike’s wheel on the front sustained damage and it wasn’t any of my business anymore. I asked them if they needed help but they refused to accept any. This is where it all started.

As for my first experience, I’m glad that i’ve been taught how defensive driving works. It’s like paying courtesy at all times – in a more specific term – ROAD COURTESY.

Having a car isn’t easy on the pocket. I thought it would lessen me to spend my allowance on traveling fares, but my allowance has been cut down because of the gasoline, and damn, gasoline here in the phils are extremely expensive! How i wish my car would run on DIESEL. Well, anyway, it does allow me to go any where I want at any given time. If i want to go to the Mercury drug store or any 24 hour store past 10pm, I can do so. Sometimes there are advantages of having a car, but sometimes disadvantages may also arise.

After the first week, I experienced another problem. The school is located i think 5-6km from my place. I was on my way home from class when suddenly the engine died, on the middle of the road. I was still able to place it aside, but the brakes didn’t work. So, i had to use the hand brakes to bring the car to a full stop. I went home by a tricycle and called for my uncle who knows a mechanic near our place. So we went back to the car who has let him check what was wrong with it. He said: THERE’S NO MORE WATER IN YOUR RADIATOR AND THE BREAK FLUID IS A VERY LOW LEVEL. YOUR CAR JUST OVERHEATED. I checked the radiator temperature levels and it was way too hot. They poured water into the radiator and it was running again. They brought the car to the shop and replaced some engine parts. I think it was a cylinder that was replaced and an engine oil seal, as well as all of the break pads. Then the mechanic said, always check the water levels and fluids of your car. “WHAT THE HELL DO I KNOW ABOUT CARS???!!! I just know how to drive them. I’m a registered nurse, a medical student, fixing cars is not on my list!!!! From then on, it’s part of my daily routine to check everything before i go to school. Only problem is that my allowance is cut into half because of the maintenance of the car and cost for gasoline. I WANT MY ALLOWANCE BACK!!! T_T

So after the second week, here comes this week: The current week, which I am writing this post now. I had class from 7:30am to 5pm. We had some practices in the school for the upcoming acquaintance party on july 10.I had some friends with me on my way home. It was a near death (masyadong O.A. ang term. hehehe) experience at the same crossing i was talking about in the beginning of this post. This time it was an owner (small jeep IDK), ready to bend into the curve. I was approaching again at about 60kph and as far as I know, he was clearly seeing me approaching into the crossing. Vehicles on the hi-way have more priority than those who are trying to go into the hi-way. Basic principle i learned from driving school. So i was about to reach the crossing when that stup*d driver of that vehicle, still tries to turn left. Owners don’t have windows and his view is like you can see the niagara falls from your home. So half way turning left into the crossing, I was pushing on the horn so many times so that everybody would get my attention. It’s a good thing that i was able to avoid crashing into the vehicle. PRESENCE of MIND, DAN, PRESENCE of MIND  that’s what my father always has been telling me. And another good thing that the people on the right side, jumped away from the almost-accident site. There was I, praying for forgiveness from God, for they (reckless drivers) do not know what they are doing. LESSON LEARNED: EVEN THOUGH HOW MUCH CAREFUL YOU ARE IN DRIVING, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE DRIVERS RECKLESS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU EXPERIENCE AN ACCIDENT.

Driving may be fun, at the same time it may be disastrous. If you have a car, be a DEFENSIVE DRIVER. Maintain ROAD COURTESY at all times. Get in to a driving school for Christ’s sake, not just somebody who gets a license from the LTO without even taking up a practical examination.

That’s my driving experience. I hope that we’ll always be safe on the road.

Zeldascorn, R.N.