Five Seconds

In
today’s world, driving is a rite of passage. It’s glorified and
put upon a pedestal. The majority of the time, teenagers are given
their licenses long before they are ready to really be on their own.
Personally, I didn’t take my driver’s test until I was 18. Having
that much more driving time with my parents has made me a much better
driver than I would’ve been otherwise. My parents instilled in me
what it takes to be a good and safe driver. What they taught me is:
always scan the road ahead of you, not just directly in front; pay
attention all around you; constantly check your mirrors; stay at
least a car length away from the car in front of you. These are just
the basics, but they’re incredibly important.

Often,
it’s not you who causes the accident, but the other person. I have
been blessed not to be involved in any accidents so far, although
I’ve had a few close encounters, some through my own fault, but
mostly due to others’ irresponsible driving. A couple years ago, I
was driving with my mom, going around a long curve on the highway,
and the person in front of me braked and suddenly changed lanes. A
police officer had pulled someone over, and both cars were halfway in
the lane. I couldn’t get over, so I slammed on my brakes and
stopped just in time – I can still vividly see the officer’s car
and how close I was to it. Thankfully, the people behind me stopped
quickly as well, and even veered off to the shoulder to avoid hitting
me. Needless to say, I was completely terrified.

The
lesson I learned that day was that I should always be aware of where
the cars around me are at, so if I need to get over, I know if I can
or not.

To
switch gears, with cell phones becoming so popular, and our society
being increasingly dependent on them, they create a huge distraction
while driving. Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times more
likely to get into crashes that are serious enough to injure
themselves. Text messaging increases the risk of a crash 23 times
compared to driving while not distracted. And, in the five seconds it
takes to send or read a text, at 55 mph, that’s the equivalent of
driving an entire football field with your eyes closed. At 70 mph,
you travel the length of 12 double decker buses – blind.

To
keep yourself and others safe, do your part and take a driver’s
education course. Send texts, change the radio station (and other
controls) before getting behind the wheel. Don’t mess with any of
it until after you get to where you’re going. Take all advice from
your parents and driving instructors to heart. By doing so, you will
save yourself, someone’s family member, someone’s best friend
from getting in a car crash and possibly dying.