It’s Just One Second

Imagine this. You’re crossing the highway, going 72 mph. You’re paying attention, staying alert. You merge onto a ramp and exit onto the street. There’s a green light.

Bzzt!

Your phone rings and you check the screen. A notification from your friend, the text seems to be urgent. “I have to tell you something right now”. You stare confusingly at the screen. What could it be? You think. You want to respond quickly with a “what?”, but you remember you’re driving.

It’s just one second, you remind yourself.

You look down at your phone and try to type with one hand. Your fingers reach the w key as you try to write “what is it?”. Concentrating hard on your message, you fail to see that you were supposed to stop at a red light.

The sound of honking averts your eyes to your windshield. Your heart skips a beat as you realize you have driven into oncoming traffic.

All of a sudden, a truck shows up in your peripheral view. You try to swerve out of the way, but it’s too late.

Crash.

…

It’s just one second. It’s just one text. It’s just one reply.

We often underestimate how much things can change in one second, especially when it comes to driving. About 400 fatal crashes happen each year due to texting and driving, that number increases to 30,000 when you consider distracted driving as a whole. Studies show that 1 in 4 teens respond to at least one text during driving (Borelli). These statistics are alarming, they prove to us that distracted driving is on the rise, and we need to combat that.

To truly understand the importance of undistracted driving, we have to reflect on the survivors and victims of distracted driving. Liz Mark’s life changed forever when she was driving and her mother sent her a text reading “ok”. Looking at her phone, Liz got into a horrific accident. Fortunately, Liz survived but she sustained life-changing injuries. Liz is now blind, partially deaf, and can’t smell (Aaron). All of which could’ve been avoided. Drivers like Liz are everywhere, they aren’t aware of the serious danger they put upon themselves when they decide to check or reply to a message.

Driver education is very important when it comes to reducing the number of deaths by distracted driving. When teens first learn to drive, undistracted driving should be considered of the utmost importance. Driver’s education is significant to teach new drivers that a text is not worth your life, no matter how important it is.

Strict drivers education and laws prohibiting using your phone while driving would help decrease the number of deaths related to distracted driving. Some states already have laws in place that correlate with distracted driving. For example, Minnesota has a law in place prohibiting the use of hand held cell phones. I believe that laws like these should be federally enforced. These laws and rules may seem harsh for some, but it’s important to enforce these rules to save lives. Sometimes driver’s education isn’t enough. Since many teens and young adults consume a lot of social media daily, it would be smart and beneficial to post anti distracted driving campaigns and ads on there.

Unfortunately, most of my family members have been in car accidents, minor or major. Most of these accidents have been because of other cars speeding or being distracted in general. Some of my family members have sustained life-long injuries from the accidents, some have thankfully sustained no injuries at all. I have been in a car accident too when I was 11 years old, but it was very minor and wasn’t because of distracted or irresponsible drivers. Even though the accident was small, I couldn’t help but think what would have happened if things were worse. Nonetheless, 90% of the accidents in my family could’ve been avoided if everyone was paying attention while driving.

I don’t drive yet, but when I do, I will make sure that I pay attention when I drive at all times. Just one second can drastically change my life or even end it. It’s no joke, driving is a serious responsibility. It’s not something that can be done halfheartedly and carelessly.

Now imagine this. You’re crossing the highway, going 72 mph. You exit onto the street. There’s a green light. You receive a text message. Instead of reaching for your phone and replying, you focus on driving. You know that looking at your phone and texting was not worth it. Whatever your friend had to say could wait. You know that just one second can change your life.

Works Cited

Borrelli, Lena. “Texting and Driving 2021 Facts & Statistics.” Bankrate, https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/texting-and-driving-statistics/.

Aaron, Kumasi. “Crash Survivor Shares Her Story in Hopes It Prevents More Distracted-Driving Crashes.” KNXV, KNXV, 11 Apr. 2019, https://www.abc15.com/news/national/crash-survivor-shares-her-story-in-hopes-it-prevents-more-distracted-driving-crashes.