
Name: William John Briggs
From: Sanborn, NY
Votes: 0
An Extra Few Seconds
“An
Extra Few Seconds” Essay
By
William Briggs
On
August 17, 2016, as my mother turned left at a green light, a van
careened through the light and hit our car directly on the outside of
my door. I remember the white van coming straight at my door,
hearing my mother telling me to brace and feeling the impact so close
to where my arm was resting just seconds before. If she would have
waited a few seconds, until she could be sure the coast was clear, we
could have just gone about shopping on that day. It took two years
after that for me to start making steps towards getting my own
license.
On
December 5, 2019, I was the one in the driver’s seat. On my way to
college, as the car in front of me quickly braked, I reacted too
slow. I tried to stop, but despite my foot on the brake, my car slid
on ice into the rear end of another student’s vehicle, slamming
their rear bumper with my front. Again, just a few more seconds could
have dramatically shifted the events of that day. If I hadn’t been
following quite so close, maybe I could have avoided the collision.
Fortunately,
everyone was well enough to walk away from these accidents, but not
everyone can be so lucky. It all comes down to awareness. Although I
really never enjoyed it, driving is a necessary part of many of our
daily routines, including mine. So often we see driving as so
integral to how we function as a society that we forget about how
dangerous it can be.
Driver
education is a good first step, introducing drivers to many of the
dangers they face on the road, but is only the first step. Everytime
someone gets in the driver’s seat, they should be thinking about
all of the obstacles between them and their destination. Driving is
dangerous. Drivers should never let themselves forget that.
Even
as new drivers become more comfortable with the conditions they face
on the road, they should constantly be checking on and refreshing
themselves on the basics. Make sure you are leaving enough following
space between your car and others. Check on your mirrors to make sure
their positioning is still good. Make sure you are using your turn
signals and other lights correctly and legally. Performing regular
maintenance like checking your tire treads, tire pressure, and motor
oil, can make a lot of difference in those few seconds it takes to
distinguish a scare from a collision.
As
a driver, you should always be concerned with everything that is
happening inside your car and around it. My father always says,
“You’re driving for the cars around you too”, and I couldn’t
agree more. It is a driver’s responsibility to avoid a collision
whenever possible. Sometimes accidents are difficult to avoid, but
taking an extra few seconds to remind one’s self to be aware is all
it takes.