Eng2C 499110061 Kelly Try as we might to avoid them, accidents happen.

Tell about a time when you were involved in an accident. There are some stories I have heard, a car accident of which I was the victim occurred a few months ago at Hoping Road and Chiho Road. The memory of that harrowing experience can still make my heart go pit-a-pat. One day when crossing a street intersection I was suddenly enthralled by the sight of a beautiful girl in miniskirt walking on the sidewalk. For a moment I was oblivious of the onrushing traffic then shrills of alarm arose and I woke up from my daydream with a start. But it was too late, I was hurtled to the ground by a passing car. I cant think why I was so careless at that point. What a fool I was to cross a busy intersection when I was dangerously distracted by the sight of an attractive girl. If only such a terrible experience had never happened to me! I wish I could see her again, but certainly not at a street intersection and not when I was behaving like a fool.

Whenever I look in the mirror and see the scar on my face I remember that cad accident. I t was a dirk night. I had a very good time at a marvelous birthday party thrown for a friend of mine. We ate and drank and danced happily. I thought I had drunk too much to drive home; however, when the party was over, I jumped into my car and drove away lightheartedly. There were only a few cars on the highway, so I drove faster and faster. Suddenly I screamed and fell unconscious. The next thing I knew was that I was in a hospital, and a few days later when I checked out I found my face was indelibly scarred. I was so put out by the accident. I wish it hadn't happened. Why on earth didn't I drive more slowly? I f only I hadn't drunk so much and what a fool I was to have a drunken driving. That accident has surely taught me a lesson and I think it is not only a good lesson but also an unforgettable experience.

On a holiday morning I drove home from my uncle's. The streets were as usual not crowded. I enjoyed a leisurely driving. Nearing a crossroads, I saw the yellow traffic light flashing off and on. A highway bus was running toward me, but it was still a safe distance away. I drove on. Then, to my horror, I was aware that the big bus was rushing head-on to me. I swerved my car and applied the brake, but it was too late. I heard a loud crash when the bus sideswiped the right door of my car in the middle of the street. At the sight of the big bus standing close by, I was rather frightened. Why on earth didnt I stop and wait till it passed? I should have remembered that caution is all that matters in safe driving. The bus driver seemed to give me a warning; a small car should yield its right of way to a bigger one. What a fool I was to put myself at the mercy of a big bus! I have learned that it is better to give way to a big bus than to take a chance with the dubious considerateness of its driver and be ruined. If only my small car were as strongly built as a tank!

At the roundabout of the West-Gate Mall in Taipei have you ever seen a high hoarding that shows in numerical figures the incidence of traffic accidents registered daily in Taipei? It is of course a warning to car drivers. I used to see those figures, however, with nonchalance. Although I had a motorbike and rode it to work everyday, most to the time I rode it carefully, and only once in a while I sped on the road for fear of being late to work for a date. A car accident would never victimize me, I thought. I was always lucky. But, alas, I eventually became the victim of a car accident which forced me to lie in a hospital for about fourteen months and become a news-maker in spite of myself. That day a bus was running in my direction and not far from it was bus stop. I was so nave as to think that the bus driver would pay heed to me. No sooner and I seen that bus approaching me than I sensed I was hurled off my motorbike. When I woke up feeling pain and soreness from head to toe, a nurse told

me that I was in a critical condition upon arrival at the hospital and that I was lucky because the doctors decided to operate on me instantly. Now I am alive and well, though I have ugly scars all over my body as a result of eight operations and a maimed leg to boot. I have paid really much too much for a careless driver.

Whenever I start my car I cannot help recalling a nightmarish experience. That experience was connected with a car accident in which I nearly got killed. The accident came a few months ago when I was turning the corner of a hillside within a short distance of my home. Having driven non-stop for many hours, I was clean done in; so I stopped my car and opened the door to get out to take a breather. I was so absorbed in the thought that I would soon see my folks after a long absence that I did not pay attention things around me. Then, just as I got off the car, something hit me and I fell and lay in a puddle of blood. Despite my blurred vision I saw a motorcycle pass by at full speed. Then I became unconscious. When I woke up I found myself in a hospital. My leg, forehead and elbows were all bound up in white bandage. Furthermore, many places on my body were bruised. I had been hospitalized for fourteen days. I can't think why I was so careless at that point; had I been more careful I would have avoided that terrible accident. If only such a harrowing experience had never happened! But I think I have learned a lesson from it. We Chinese have a saying, "One who has narrowly escaped a tremendous disaster will live happily ever after." I hope such prediction will come true soon. It was the first time I had driven a car all by myself. I had just got a drivers license and my husband was away on a business trip. Without the ear-piercing chattering of either my husband or the impatient coach, I was having a joy ride along the winding highway 3. Whistling in the warm breeze, I was driving fast and in a relaxed mood. Before long, I was forced to slow down by a huge cement tanker

lumbering along ahead of me on the two-lane highway. Never had I seen such a huge monster before; I missed the comforting chattering of my husband very much. Having followed it for ten minutes or so, I steeled myself to step on the accelerator. As soon as I thought I had passed it and re-entered the right lane, I heard a loud crash on the right side of my car. I could not remember how long the shock had lasted, but as I pinched myself to find I was still alive, I was bold enough to keep on driving and the huge monster was lagging far behind me as if nothing had happened. No sooner had I parked my new laser than I found the whole right side of my car was smashed out of shape. Why on earth didnt I follow that tanker with precaution and patience? I should have realized how poor my driving skill still was. How I wish I had never gone home that day!

Tom and I drove to Tainan last month. As it was a holiday, traffic on the freeway was heavy. I asked Tom to fasten the safety belt, but he said it couldnt do any good in emergency and turned a deaf ear to my advice. About thirty minutes later, the accident happened. The car before us suddenly slowed down, but Tom couldnt stop ours in time and the result was a bumper crash. I screamed to find that Toms face was covered with blood. He suffered a slight brain concussion, but I, thanks though scared to death. The scar left on Toms forehead could still be seen when I called on him yesterday. I wish I had taken your advice. What a fool I was to doubt the use of the safety belt! said Tom with a wry smile. Why on earth didnt I insist that you fasten it? If only I had insisted! The injury could have been reduced to a minimum, I also blamed myself.