ELAINE GU
Gargoyle assistant editor
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008

FOR THOSE OF you who have been to the new Champaign Public Library, you know how amazing it is, right? It’s almost like a museum — with its vast hallways, glass walls, wide staircase, and high-tech self-checkouts.

However, while I do think that the new library is great, I must say that some work needs to be done on its parking lot.

This past Saturday, there was a Chinese New Year celebration at the library. Around noon, the volunteer coordinator called and asked if I could help out with the event in the afternoon. Being the dedicated volunteer that I am, I agreed to help.

Since I received such short notice, I grabbed some food, changed clothes, and rushed to the library. Now, I was never the most cautious driver: I don’t stop fully at stop signs, I drive at least 10 miles over the speed limit, and I speed up every time the traffic light turns yellow.

However, when I’m in a hurry, I’m an especially reckless driver. Unfortunately for me, I’m also somehow always running late. Those two qualities do not make a good combination.

Once I arrived at the library, I was already 10 minutes late. As soon as I turned into the parking lot, I saw an empty parking space on my right. “Yes! A spot for me,” I thought to myself. Since there were cars lining up behind me, I quickly turned into that spot.

I never really got the hang of parking. Usually when I’m in a parking lot, I find two back-to-back empty spaces so that I can drive through the first and park in the one in front of it. This way, it’s easier for me to park straight, and I don’t have to back out when I drive away.

But on that fateful Saturday, I didn’t park as I normally would. I was late, so I didn’t want to waste time searching for two back-to-back empty spots. Plus, since the recent expansion of the library, the parking lot is always packed. Each space is also unusually narrow. People usually end up parking on the side of the streets, so I probably wouldn’t have been able to find two empty spots opposite of each other anyway.

Maybe the line of cars behind me made me nervous. Maybe I was anxious because I was late. Maybe the snow on the ground blinded me. Or maybe I’m just terrible at parking. Whatever the reason, I heard a crunching sound and felt my car jolt to a stop as I pulled into that empty spot.

The back of my car had hit the tail-light of another car parked right beside me.

“Sh**!” I exclaimed, shocked. I know I’m not exactly the best driver in the world, but I’ve never hit a car before! Dreadful thoughts raced through my mind as I imagined what my parents’ reaction will be. I became more distraught when I thought about the fate of my brand new car and the inevitable increase in my insurance rate that will result from this accident.

So the first thing I did was to try to park properly. For some reason, I just couldn’t maneuver my car. In fact, I hit the other car again as I attempted to back out and pull in. And the continuous stream of cars pouring in from the entrance right behind me did not ease my fears at all.

Finally, I gave up and came out from the driver’s seat. I didn’t know what to do: my car was partially blocking the lane, but I didn’t know how to move it. People in the parking lot were all staring at me, saying “Ouch” or “Ooh …” when they saw my car.

Luckily, a really nice lady walked by. She asked about my situation and then went into the library to get help. As I waited outside, I was so embarrassed by all the curious glances that were cast in my direction. I just wanted to get out of that place and never drive again.

Eventually, the lady came back out and informed me that a librarian had notified the police.

Meanwhile, the owner of the other car also came out. Um … yeah, let’s just say that was awkward. I apologized over and over and assured her that I would pay for all the damages. She didn’t really say anything … but considering the situation, I guess she took it quite well.

A few minutes later, a police officer arrived. He was extremely nice about the whole situation. He filled out some forms, told us to call our insurance companies, and then helped me get my car unstuck.

Needless to say, the rest of my afternoon was a bust; I was a super-depressed volunteer. However, I did learn one thing from that incident: Drive carefully.

As teenagers, many of us are reckless drivers. I have friends who run stop signs, drive more than 20 miles over the speed limit, and text on their cell phones while they’re behind the wheels.

Like many of my friends, I’ve often felt invincible. However, this accident has allowed me to realize how a simple mistake can have a grave impact. Even though my accident wasn’t life-altering, it led me to think about how fragile life is and how people can lose their lives by making a careless error behind the wheel.

Now I have to report a claim, talk to my insurance company, and deal with all the hassles that come with getting in an accident. In the future, I will try to be a more careful driver.

I also think that the Champaign Public Library needs a bigger parking lot to accommodate its increased number of patrons. Until then, I will be sure to steer far away from that parking lot.