Hi Everyone,
Storytime: I hope you are all well today. There is one thing that most people know about me and that thing is that it took me a long time to learn how to drive. I wanted to learn at the age of 16 back in 2000 when there was a driver’s education course at my high school. My mother thought I was too young and she refused to let me go to that program.
In the summer of 2007, I made the decision to attend a driving school. It was not a great experience. There was no one who took me out to practice my driving. I am a very hands-on person. I needed that experience. There was this one instructor who was plain ignorant. She told me I did not look like a driver and I would never be a good driver. She talked negatively about a lot of people.
Even after finishing this program, I still had no one to take me out to practice driving until 2010 when I met a man who worked at my full-time job. He was a certified Motor Vehicle Administration instructor and he took students out to practice when he could on the weekends. He was a great instructor who was patient and kind.
In 2016, I went to another driving school because I had not been successful in obtaining my license. Parking always messed me up. Plus I am short. LOL. This time around was a better experience. My father took me out most by having me drive from our local Walmart back home.I still struggled to park. In 2018, I finally obtained my license. That was one of the best days of my life. My father and I called more than 50 people at the MVA.
In January 2019, I purchased my first car, a Hyundai Accent. I still have this car. I have experienced a lot with my car. I am not someone who drives often. My car is usually parked more than it is driven. I had so many bad experiences with auto repair shops. They treat me like I am stupid. Many of the companies here do not have the best reviews. These stories become deep.
Driving has not been easy. As a new driver who learned how to drive old, I struggled. I am grateful my friend would drive with me and teach me safety and confidence to fine-tune my driving. I have come a long way. Many say I am a good driver. More improvement is needed. For instance, I have had several car accidents. My first accident came that July. No, I was not at fault. I did not even know I was involved in a car accident. My second one came one month later. This one, I was at fault for. I hit a parked car trying to park in a tight spot in a car lot.
Earlier this year, I had another accident in a parking garage when I was trying to leave work. A female was driving into the garage. Only one car can pass on the ramp at a time. It is only a one-directional ramp. Someone needed to wait for the other to pass. Before I could back my car up, she hit me head-on. Then she proceeded to get out of the car to say she was having a bad day. Ironically, that day was bad for me as well. There was no damage to either vehicle, so we went on about our way.
Let me explain this… where I reside is heavy traffic and lots of car accidents. I witness accidents on a daily basis. My city makes the national list for horrible and dangerous traffic annually. Auto insurance rates are high for my city as a result. Recently, auto thefts and attempted thefts are on the rise too in my city. Baby, I can tell you some stories.
On July 24th, 2022, I was involved in another not-at-fault accident, which I am still dealing with. A man was recklessly speeding through a side street when he collided with my car. He damaged my entire driver’s side. I will admit, my passenger side was screwed up from the prior accidents which I never fixed. However, my driver’s side was nearly pristine prior to that accident. Isn’t that weird? Thankfully, I was not injured. My car was not totaled.
With that being said, insurance companies try to pay as little as possible for car accidents. My claims representative is okay. She does try harder than some I have encountered over the years. However, the claims adjuster/estimator has not authorized the appropriate repairs, parts, and costs. As result, the progress on my car repairs were delayed. I am angry at the progress. Yes, I know and understand things take time. There is a tedious process. However, it needs to be better than this.
I want to acknowledge the lady who works at the repair shop has been excellent throughout this process. She has been patient, kind, and professional. She is also just as frustrated by my insurance company as I am. I never asked my insurance to fix my car for the other accidents. However, this damage was extensive and my car was undrivable. My insurance was pricy. All I will say is that everything is a lesson learned.
This claim is about to go to arbitration against the other driver. I want it to. This most recent ordeal has taken a toll on me that I would not wish on anyone. It could have been worse and I am grateful it wasn’t. I was not physically harmed. It was more mental. It has been stressful, to say the least. Accidents are traumatic.
I know several people in my city who were involved in accidents around the same time. One high school friend is still battling to save her life. She posts her plight and trauma on Facebook often. She has been bounced around from various hospitals to rehab facilities. My ex-husband and his wife were also in an accident where they were injured, and their car was totaled. They have lots of appointments with medical professionals and lawyers. A co-worker was also in a recent car accident.
The conditions in my city are more unsafe due to the high crime rates and ongoing construction. Numerous streets are blocked off. Lanes have been closed and barriers were added for bike cycling. There is an abundance of speed and red light cameras within the city and surrounding areas. Yet, speeding is a huge factor in the bulk of accidents. The cameras do not deter this. This does not scratch the driving conditions in my city.
I mentioned how carjackings are on the rise where I live. My father was recently the victim of an attempted carjacking. The perpetrators did extensive damage to his vehicle. We have ideas of who did it, but we can’t prove it. Daily, I see so many posts, news, and other mentions of this problem. The police force here is virtually useless. Yes, I know they are overwhelmed, and short-staffed. They refuse to come out to investigate. They rather conduct business by phone, which is ineffective. This in itself is a controversial topic. I live in a place which is among the highest homicide rates. I guess this contributes to the issue.
Being able to drive has made me more independent. I enjoy the freedom of being able to come and go as I please. Public transportation systems here are just as bad. Cab and ridesharing services are costly. I never realized how much I valued having a car until my most recent accident. Buses don’t really come when they are supposed to. There are constant delays in the rail system. The changes made by the transit system never correct the issues. On the contrary, car maintenance and gas are costly.
I guess we have to remember the good and bad with everything including driving and cars. Everything has an advantage and disadvantages. Risks are associated with everything, which were usually known in advance. Overall we need to take them in stride and hope for the best. We need to be safe and remain aware of our surroundings. We need to count our blessings and be grateful when we are spared from extreme devastation. Driving can be a great thing and a pain too. Accidents happen. Thefts do too. It is only important we rebound.
Thank you for attending today’s storytime. I hope you gained something from it. Peace and blessings everyone. ❤ Rayne Elise ❤
Discovery Journey 