One Second

It takes one second. I think that’s the part some people fail to
realize in the comfort of their everyday lives, passing them by as
swiftly as the hands on a clock. But when an accident happens, time
stops. One second you were moving, cruising in tranquile silence or
the radio music, and now you’re stopped in your tracks. But that’s
all it takes: one second. One second of being distracted and your
life can change forever. I have experienced accidents before, some at
the fault of another, and some myself admittedly, and everytime it
has happened, that is the one thing I could remember: It happened in
the blink of an eye, when I least expected it. It is that exact fact
that has set me into a mindset which values every second of
concentration as I drive. Sometimes a driver makes a swift move,
changes lanes rapidly, or doesn’t see me in their blind spot. In
those moments, when I was focused and able to respond in time, I
would wonder what would have happened if I reacted just a moment too
late. It could have made the entire difference. Any text can wait
when it is your life at stake. Changing the song on your phone can
wait when it means avoiding your parents having to find out they lost
their child who they deeply love and care for.

My
brother lost his friend who was at the young age of 17 due to
reckless driving. He was going fast, and I’m sure he didn’t see
it coming. He never got the chance to reflect on that one second. It
broke my heart. He was his friend, but also someone who had come so
far and had so much further to go. And it is all gone now. It is only
one second for a lifetime of grieving. That’s what I remind myself.
Sometimes I have the urge to check my phone. I have it in my hand,
and then I put it down, because it can wait. Look forward and drive.
Nothing else matters.

If these points were emphasized in drivers ed: at any moment
anything can happen, it is a constant commitment to make safe choices
on the road, and think twice when making a decision, it would make
all the difference. It is a commitment not only as a driver, but as
the passenger of another car. Help the driver send a text, look up
the directions. Insist that you want to, that you must. In addition,
people should hear real-life experiences. Everyone likes to believe
it won’t happen to them, but listening to someone who is your age,
who is just like you experience a car accident, or lose someone to
irresponsible driving, makes one see it can happen to anyone. I think
at a younger age we think we are invincible, but we are not. We
always are vulnerable, but we always have the power to make the safe
choice.