I Went To Court So You Don't Have To

Your first wreck is terrifying. If you haven’t been in a wreck yet, I’m gonna let you know now that it’s going to be terrifying. Even if the wreck is a fender bender, the abrupt realization that driving is dangerous is shocking, and it’s only made worse by the legal action that follows it.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I have a serious fear of authority. So the thought of having to deal with the police and the juvenile criminal justice system terrifies me. I wasn’t so scared about the possibility that the other driver or I could be injured or my car could be badly damaged; I was more afraid that I was going to have to go to court. And guess what? I received a letter about a month later subpoenaing me to the Fulton County Juvenile Court.

I’m not going to describe the wreck here because that isn’t the purpose of this article, but I do think it’s important to mention that no one was hurt and my car was still driveable. The only part of it that was bent out of shape was underneath my front left headlight. The other driver’s truck wasn’t badly damaged either.

My court date was set for February 5 at 2:00. I showed up half an hour early to check in and to make sure I wouldn’t be late. Court seems like one of the most important places for punctuality. I’m unconvinced they would have a warrant out for my arrest if I didn’t show up on time, but I was not about to take that chance. There were four other kids, all about my age, sitting in the waiting room with me. Two of them looked as mortified as I felt, and the other two looked as though they had done this before.

There’s an unspoken truth that the cop who cited you for a wreck probably won’t show up to your court date. They just have better things to do. That being said, as I was sitting in the waiting room talking to my dad, I saw a tall man wearing all black and a gun walk through the door. And it was - as you probably could have guessed - the cop who cited me. Thankfully, he actually vouched for me in front of the judge and said that I was telling the truth about the circumstances of the wreck and that a lot of accidents happen in the intersection where my wreck took place.

So I went in front of the judge, and he decided that I would have to pay $165 and take a four-hour defensive driving course. The fine was maddening because I was not at fault for the wreck (though I was still cited for it). Having to pay a fine was stressful, but it was nothing compared to sitting in defensive driving listening to Mr. Ordale Randall - really nice guy by the way - tell me about young kids who died after their cars flipped on the highway. I drove myself to the class, and I was a little afraid to get back on I-75 to go home. So, I guess defensive driving accomplished its mission?

If there’s anything I’ve learned from this, it’s to be extra cautious while driving. I do not want to have to go through this long, dragged-out process again, so I’m going to avoid getting into a wreck any way possible. So, dear reader, if you take anything away from this, please be careful when you drive. Don’t text, don’t speed (excessively), and always double check your blind spots.

By Caroline Parrish