I Witnessed A Car Crash

     Today, while I was waiting for a red signal to change at an intersection, I witnessed a car crash. I just exited a highway and stopped at the first intersection because of a red-light. I was at the first person on the second lane in order to turn right. While I was waiting for a red signal to change there, a black sedan drove through incredibly very fast from the first lane, just next to my lane. It seemed that the car was speeding at nearly 60 miles/hour or so. The car ignored a red-light. It was insanely fast to go into the intersection and crashed into the other vehicle. It seemed that the car was not going to turn right. It just drove straight toward the intersection even though there were only two ways (turn left or turn right). I was very scared that it happened in just front of my car. There were other drivers who witnessed the scene, but I think I was only person who saw the car crash very clearly. That's why I told a police officer everything I saw at the scene. After coming back home, I was still shocked that it actually happened in front of me.

      These days, my husband and I have talked about the risk of motor vehicle accidents. Some drivers drive very fast, and some drivers don't look carefully. Actually, our small car was hit by the other huge car at a parking lot once. The RV was going backward from a parking space suddenly, so my husband honked at the car, but eventually, we couldn't avoid it because it happened too fast. The driver should have looked at back carefully before going backward. It was just a minor accident, but we spent many hours to contact the insurance company and get our car fixed. In addition, last year, I saw the news that a tragic accident happened in my neighborhood. A boy was killed by a car accident in our local area. Even though it's a school zone, some drivers drive very fast. Since we moved into this area, the number of population has increased very rapidly. The schools were built near our home, and more children are walking, riding bicycles and skateboarding. Before the tragic accident happened, we had talked about that we should drive very carefully in our neighborhood. Even after the accident, I still see speeding cars in this area. :(

     We also talked about that how easy it is to get driver's license in the U.S. In Japan, it cost about $3,000 to get a driver's license. In order to get a license in Japan, people must take lectures and practices at a driving school for many hours. If you fail a class, you need to retake the class and pay an extra fee. It usually takes 3 months or so depending on how often you go to the driving school and how fast you can pass all classes. It took me about 90 days until I got the driver's license in Japan. In the U.S., however, I needed to go to DMV, Department of Motor Vehicles, just two times to get a driver's license. I just took the writing exam and the practice exam. I don't remember how much it cost exactly, but I think it was about $30 or so, which was very inexpensive. I think learning how to drive safely is very important to avoid car accidents. I learned many important things from professional driving instructors in Japan. I think all drivers should have safety driving skills.