The turn that changed my life

Underage driving can be fatal — I had to learn this the hard way.

Have you ever taken a U-turn while driving your car on the main road? Probably yes. Has your life changed drastically as a result of the U-turn on the road? Probably not.

Yes, some U-turns you make as an unsuspecting driver can actually alter your life forever.

Well, I took a sharp turn which unfolded a new chapter in my life. I clearly remember the day it happened. I woke up feeling chirpy and I still remember my mother’s gracious smile and my father’s gleaming eyes when I greeted them in the morning.  And I went on to enjoy the small joys of life: savouring the scrumptious taste of gooey chocolate cake, while appreciating the brilliance of my red sneakers.

When I set out for school that morning, I hardly knew what was coming my way. Who knew that a sharp twist would flip my happy-go-lucky life into an abyss in just a few seconds? Who knew that within just a few moments, I would get caught between life and death.

I didn’t know this would happen to me. I didn’t know that life could be so unfair. I was greeted with a loud bang as I tried to turn my car recklessly, and what followed immediately is still a daze. All I remember of the ensuing nightmare are screeching sounds and everything submerging in darkness.

And when I emerged from a coma, all I felt was excruciating pain. It made me wail helplessly. Every time someone touched my hand in a comforting manner, as I lay with several intravenous drips attached to my body, my body would throb with pain.

I didn’t realise it back then, but I was actually fighting for my life on that hospital bed.

“It’s a miracle!” my father would say every now and then. His voice would ring in my ears as I lay barely conscious, still trying to adjust to my broken and battered body.  My perfectly good leg had broken, the injuries in my head made it ache constantly. And perhaps the biggest damage the accident inflicted was on my spirit — it was completely shattered. I was full of fear and insecurities about my future.

Life is very precious — we all have heard the cliché numerous times. But it was when I had my life-threatening accident, that I realised the true worth of life. I almost let it slip out of my hands, as I turned my car recklessly.

In retrospect, I fully understand that I was too young to drive. Yes, most 15-year-olds I know drive as well without a driving license. They too speed across the city’s bumpy roads to get a thrill.

But let me tell you from first-hand experience that this can cost you your life. Yes, the company of friends and loud rock music might spur you to zoom past all the vehicles on the road in excitement. But don’t even think about it.

Whenever you think that it’s so ‘cool’ to take your parents’ car and speed it parallel to the beautiful seaside, just imagine how ‘uncool’ it would be to have an accident that breaks your limbs. Don’t let the impulse for fleeting delight make you harm yourself and others.

Yes, we all make mistakes as teenagers but some of those are harder to forget and make amends for. We learn from our mistakes but there are some blunders you cannot afford to make. I learnt this the hard way, so why don’t spare yourself the great trouble and learn from my mistake instead?

The writer is a 16-year-old student of the CAS School in Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2012.