In The Blink Of An Eye

There is an average of almost 20,000 car crashes every single day in the United States. Now imagine how many car crashes there would be if driver education didn’t exist. Driver’s Ed is one of, if not the most important learning tool to prepare you for everyday circumstances. While learning the ins and outs of controlling a car, you also learn how you should behave while driving. No matter how good of a driver you think you are, there is no excuse to let your guard down while behind the wheel. All it takes is a second of distraction to lead to disaster.

Not even two months ago at the time of this writing, I was involved in a very serious collision at an intersection. I was driving home from school as usual, getting ready to turn left onto a highway. I had a green light, but there was a car coming the opposite direction towards me. They were slowing down, which made me think they were going to turn into the gas station just before the intersection. So since they were slowing down, I should have plenty of time to make the turn onto the highway. Next thing I know I am almost through the turn and BAM! I nearly had a head-on collision with the car I saw slowing down. Turns out they sped back up and drove straight into the front right of my car. To this day, I don’t know if they were on their phone or distracted some other way or not. But they sped up while I was turning and made no effort to swerve, brake, honk, or anything to avoid me. Luckily, both me and the other driver only had minor injuries, and neither of us had any passengers. However, both cars were totaled with severe damage at the front of the cars. This was a real awakening for me just realizing how fast accidents can happen.

This collision happened due to mistakes from both drivers in this case. My mistake was not waiting to see if the car actually was turning into the gas station. Instead, I simply assumed they would since they were slowing down so much. Their mistake was inconsistent and likely distracted driving. They were slowing down and speeding up for seemingly no apparent reason and made no attempt to avoid the crash.

From then on I always take my time when driving. There is no need to rush anything. When people start rushing, they begin to make mistakes. And those mistakes under certain circumstances can be fatal.

In order to stay safe on the road, you should not be solely paying attention to your driving. It is imperative that you are always on the lookout for mistakes that other drivers around you will make. Sometimes a driver could make too wide of a turn and accidentally be in your lane. Other times a driver may try changing lanes without checking their blindspot beforehand. No matter how much you know about driving, you can’t always predict the people around you.

One of the most dangerous behaviors that countless drivers are guilty of is distracted driving. Being distracted can consist of taking your eyes off the road, taking your hands off the wheel, or even just getting lost in thought and not really thinking about driving. Many people may think that they are perfectly fine since they are only distracted for a moment. But that is where the problem lies. Less than a second is all it takes for something to go wrong. Some people may even say, “I only check my phone when there’s no other cars anywhere near me on the road.” Yet that doesn’t rule out an animal or person from jumping out into the road. There could also be an object in the road that could damage your car if you hit it. Every now and then, I will see random objects in the road such as boxes, shoes, clothes, or possibly some equipment that fell off a work truck. The danger with objects in the road is that it can sometimes be hard to tell if you will be able to drive over them or not. It can be hard to gauge the size of the object. But the point is that it is crucial for all drivers to avoid distractions at all costs. So in the future, if you hear your phone ding, either wait until you get to your destination to check it or simply pull off the road and park somewhere safe first.

Even if you have a perfect driving record, you do not have a pass to multitask while driving. No matter if you spilled something, got a notification, or have a screaming child in the back seat, do not take your attention away from the road. Stay safe on the road and encourage others to do so as well. You can never be too careful.