5 Seconds

Imagine yourself, a new driver, behind the wheel of your first car. You feel powerful and excited with your newfound freedom. You pull out of your driveway; the speed limit is 25 mph. Your phone buzzes next to you and you think to yourself, “it’s only a 25, I can check it really fast”. Now your attention is averted towards your cell phone. Your eyes are not on the road. Your foot gradually presses the pedal harder without your realization. You’re going 50mph. It has only been a matter of 5 seconds. Now imagine your parent’s eyes growing wide and their phone clattering to the floor when they get the call that you’re gone. That your 5 seconds of irresponsible driving took your life. New drivers are constantly told to avoid distractions while driving. Some may even have presentations in their schools, or in their driving classes. However, not every person has had to live through a terrible driving incident. They have not physically felt the pain that comes with an irresponsible driver. Personally, I believe that experiencing this firsthand is one of the only ways that someone can truly understand the importance of safe driving. However, I hope that nobody ever is in the situation where they must feel the heart shattering pain.

Driving education is drastically important in reducing the number of deaths because of driving. I am a new driver; I’ve had my license for almost two years. I still remember what they taught us in drivers’ education decently well. One thing that I don’t think was ever talked about enough was safe driving. Yes, they talked about rules of the road and how to safely follow that. However, I can’t recall talking about distracted driving nearly as much as we should have. I believe if we did have more information about distracted driving during this course then we could start to decrease driving fatalities. Some steps to be considered would be devoting multiple classes during drivers’ education that focus solely on distracted driving and the consequences. I also think new drivers should be required to take a safe driving exam as well as the traditional exam. This exam should be retaken every time someone gets their license renewed. Even before drivers’ education, I think children should be taught in school the importance of safe driving. This topic could very well fit into a wellness and health class.

Thankfully I personally have never been in a fatal accident. However, I have lived through the pain of losing someone in an accident, and almost losing someone. All were instances of unsafe driving. In 2021 my ex-boyfriend was driving too fast on a backroad. He had 2 others in his vehicle. When his phone started to buzz, he leaned over, pulling the wheel along with him. They ended up rolling the vehicle and running head on into a tree. My ex-boyfriend died instantly, the other 2 were injured. Shortly after this accident, my aunt was also driving too fast. She was not buckled. She fell asleep at the wheel and was ejected through the windshield when she went off the road. She also died instantly. Now, fast forward a year. My current boyfriend was driving dangerously fast with no seatbelt on. He passed a car, and clipped another car who was turning. His speed hitting the car caused him to roll, and land in a ditch. He had a gash so large on his head that you could see his skull. There is no reasonable explanation as to how he is still alive to this day.

Some steps that I take when driving to ensure safety is to always make sure everyone in my car is buckled before I start driving. I also do this in other people’s vehicles. Remind the driver, remind your friends, remind your parents. It never hurts to remind others. Now, when people get into my car they already know to buckle. I don’t have to say anything. This shows how a person can take what you’re saying and apply it. I hope that when they get into their own vehicles, my voice still echoes in their head, and they remember to buckle. It is common for new drivers to stay quiet about safe driving because we are worried that others may call us annoying. However, when you put being called annoying and the lives of you and another person side by side, the lives of you and another person will always win.

Safety is never a joke. I know how it feels to lose someone you love. The pain is immaculate, and you know that if they just changed a few safety issues then they would still be living. If he hadn’t reached for his phone, if she had just buckled up. There are so many “ifs” in today’s world. It’s up to us to make them “dos.”