Milliseconds

“46, 47, 48,” the reading on my speedometer crept up to the limit as I drove myself to a college application class. I drummed my thumbs on the steering wheel, belting out the song on the radio. I was feeling great. It was Sunday, and I had just come from church. Riding on the speed limit, I passed a white SUV. I was too distracted by the song to pay attention to the driver of the vehicle. I kept on cruising down the street. Two lanes stretched in front of me on my side of the road. I kept to the left one. That white SUV crept up again on my right hand side. Driving down an only slightly curved portion of the road, something just didn’t seem right in the way that the SUV was moving. It wasn’t driving recklessly and the rear half of it was uneventfully right next to my hood. That’s when I realized it was drifting into my lane. It was not a slow drowsy drift. It was a deliberate movement into my lane. There was only one problem: I was in the way. I had to do something before that car drove me into the median on my left, killing me. Adrenaline pumping through my body faster than blood, I had milliseconds to make my move.

Being a relatively new driver (licensed since November of 2022), I had little experience with bad drivers. Sure, I had to deal with a drifter or two, or a red light runner, but I had never experienced a driver so complacently bad at driving that I was in fear for my life.

The sad thing is, you can’t change every bad driver’s habits. Some people will still choose to relax and get distracted while directing 3000+ pound crates of steel down a lane, hurtling at speeds that would be deemed unbelievable, insensible, and irrational in past centuries. I used to imagine what it would be like to place Isaac Newton or George Washington in a car and send them down a busy street at 55 miles per hour. [Let the reader imagine their response…]

But what can we, who desire to drive safely, do to surmount this unavoidable issue? How can we make the road a safer place despite those who cast safety to the roadside?

I imagine you as a driver have heard about defensive driving from many places many times and how important it is to always be wary on the road. People concerned with the safety of drivers make it clear that defensive driving is the key to a long driving career. Defensive driving alone is not enough, though. Let me explain.

The literal definition of a driver is one of defense. It is the driver’s duty to ensure that his or her vehicle does not collide with the median, curb, streetlight, pedestrian, random awkwardly parked car, piece of debris in the road, etc. All of these things are considered to be of utmost importance from which to maintain a safe distance. These objects are usually quite stationary. (Pedestrians are not really fast on a normal basis.) This means that it is really the driver’s responsibility alone to avoid these obstacles in a safe and respectful manner.

It must be understood, though, that these are not the only obstacles that a driver experiences. By far, the biggest obstacles a driver faces are his fellow drivers. These obstacles are almost always moving at dangerous speeds. Additionally, unlike the incoherent street light, other drivers make decisions, and those decisions are not always good ones. The defensive role of a driver then multiplies exponentially in importance.

How does one learn to think critically and defensively when driving? The answer is very simple. Driving training is the best way to instill lifelong habits that will form a careful and defensive driver. Driving training allows for the safe transition of a child passenger into a young driver. Driving training provides a means of entering into the world of driving in a safer, step by step fashion. It is the point in a student driver’s career that is crucial in determining the habits and tendencies those students will develop and carry with them for the rest of their lives.

I am thankful that I received good driving training, both from an instructor and from my parents. It has enabled me to be more defensive and aware of my surroundings in a way that has helped me to be a safer driver.

Once I realized that the white SUV was about to smash my car against the median, I hit my brakes harder than I had ever done. My car’s tires locked up and an ear piercing shriek rang from the rubber on the asphalt road. Despite the noise and dramatic movement my car made, the SUV continued to enter my lane all the way. Stunned by what seemed to be a completely inconsiderate attempt to change lanes unnecessarily, I sat back in my seat with my eyes wide open, my whole body tensed, and adrenaline searing through my body like fire. Once I recovered my senses two or three seconds later, I gave the SUV a quick honk to let its driver know he had almost killed me. I then switched lanes and pulled away from the SUV. Shaking with a violent tremor, I pulled into the closest neighborhood and parked my car on the street. I let go of the steering wheel, tears welling in my eyes, hands and body still shaking violently, and slumped in my seat. I shut off the radio just so I could have some quiet. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I literally saw my life flash in front of my eyes. With shaking hands I removed my phone from my pocket and called my mom. She answered and I told her I needed help. I told her I had almost been in a car accident and was parked in a neighborhood down the road. She told me to turn the car off immediately and that she would be on her way. I closed my eyes. I still couldn’t believe it, but I thanked God for protecting me.

I am thankful for the immediate reaction I took that saved my life by a few milliseconds. I would not have had that reaction though if it were not for my driving training. People need good driving training. They need to understand all of the dangers of the road and what could truly happen if they make a mistake. The only problem is, you can’t truly appreciate a dire situation like the one that I related unless you are in one. In many cases, that dire situation might be your first and last one. Those who survive such situations as these are much more aware of how dangerous driving really is and how important it is to be safe on the road.

How can we demonstrate in a tangible way how dangerous driving can actually be without waiting for the lesson of a real car accident to teach someone? Here are two ways in which this can be accomplished.

First, through the use of more stories that are relevant to a student driver’s age (and fewer statistics), driving training can be much more impactful. To the average new driver, aged around 16 to 19 years old, statistics of any kind can be a bore and a chore, removing the possibility of a high quality understanding of subject matter, be it driver safety education, mathematics, history, etc. Stories, and especially those that are relevant, are more attractive to and meaningful to a young audience. If I told a 17-year-old the number of car accidents that happen per year in each state and how many involve teens, my statistical figures would probably not be very impactful. If instead I told that 17-year-old that a young kid in their city was killed while driving with their friends because the driver of their car, a 17-year-old as well, drove too fast, lost control of their vehicle, and smashed into a freeway guardrail, they would likely be emotionally impacted. The story would cause the 17-year-old to actually think about the implications of reckless driving more than would the statistics.

Second, because young adults like me are applying to colleges and are looking for scholarships, by having programs like this one that encourage new drivers to think critically about driving, people can have a direct impact on those who need encouragement to drive defensively before the danger comes.

In order to promote the importance of defensive driving, I can be a constant encouragement and example to my fellow peers: I can discourage bad driving habits and encourage my peers to be intentional about driving safely. More directly, I myself should be a safer driver. I need to improve my driving skills and work to erase bad habits I have built up over time. I might be one person out of eight billion, but my safety measures might just save my life and that of another driver someday.

Driving is an inherently defensive activity. Let’s treat it that way and be always on the defense, because, while you can never be completely sure of a driver’s next move, you can always be prepared to respond to anything that could happen.