Five Seconds

Five seconds. That’s all it took for my mother to look away from the road. I remember the moment clearly; we were discussing my upcoming choir concert and how I needed to find my clothes for the performance. But all of that became the last thing on our minds when we collided with a silver SUV after failing to yield properly on a left turn. The first thing I remembered afterwards was a dull ringing in my ear and the smell of smoke after the airbags were deployed; thankfully, no one was hurt. While we stood outside in the summer heat waiting for the police and a tow truck, some compassionate bystanders checked on us and offered us cold water; the whole day felt extremely surreal. Afterwards, I felt almost ashamed for my role in the incident; although no one was injured, it easily could have been much worse, and any negative effects of that crash were largely due to me—distracting my mother with a conversation while she was driving.

Distracted driving has always been a cause for worry for both new and experienced drivers, causing thousands of deaths and injuries annually. With the relatively recent popularity of smartphones, these catastrophic numbers are only increasing as there are more ways to multitask while driving, especially for teenagers glued to their screens. However, statistics have shown that drivers ed is one way to ensure that new drivers remain safe on the road, and avoid the same situation that my mother and I found ourselves in on that fateful day. After taking a local driving course myself, I can agree that it is a beneficial method to promote safe driving. In my experience, I had time both behind the wheel with a trained instructor, as well as in the classroom hammering out the fine details. Not only did I learn basic procedures for driving itself, like parallel parking, checking blind spots, and basic traffic laws, I also learned information on the dangers of driving while inebriated or distracted, and the horrific repercussions that might occur. Through driving school, I became more knowledgeable about how to stay accountable for safe driving, like putting my phone in the seat next to me rather than within easy reach, and not driving with the radio on or with other passengers until I was sure that I could handle background noise and remain focused.

Initially, my experience in being in a car accident myself definitely intimidated me the first time I got behind the wheel—after all, if my mother, who had years of experience on the road, could be distracted, how would someone new to driving like me be able to stay safe? However, driving school helped me be more comfortable and ease into driving in a safe environment free of distractions. Now, every time I get behind the wheel, I make sure to remind myself—no matter how much of a rush I am in, my life is worth more than five seconds of distraction.