It Only Takes a Second

Isabella
Pastore

It
Only Takes a Second

It
only takes one second: a mistake is made and the people involved are
severely injured, if not killed as a result of unsafe driving.
Whenever someone gets behind the wheel, their lives are at the hands
of themselves and the strangers in the cars around them. That is why
drivers ed is an extremely important factor in reducing the
number of deaths as a result of driving. Without drivers ed,
drivers are unable to make safe decisions while driving, and
therefore are unaware of the true consequences of their actions.

To
reduce the number of deaths related to driving, one can take
initiative to learn more about the rules of the road and proper
etiquette and behavior while behind the wheel. In particular, the
effects of texting while driving as well as the effects of driving
under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Fortunately, I have not
experienced a car accident but I have seen my friends driving
irresponsibly. I have been aware that they were sending messages on
their phone while behind the wheel and I have always been quick to
ask them to please not text and drive. If I had known that someone
had been in a fatal accident because they were trying to respond to
me, I would be heartbroken. There is always more time to respond to a
text, it should not be a matter of life or death.

Another
step that I have taken to help others be safe on the road is being
available to drive people who are under the influence so that they do
not take the wheel, and if they are leaving an event, I always make
sure that they are safe to drive. I personally practice safe driving
by trying to take my time and not pushing my capabilities too far.
The steps that I can take to be a better safe driver is practicing
patience on the road. I often get frustrated when I am in a rush or I
am running late, and that often means that I am only focused on
getting to my destination on time. Being five minutes late will not
kill me, but trying to be on time might.