Just a Second

Just a Second

It only takes a second.

You are driving down the parkway, humming along to the song that just came on the radio. It is 8:30 p.m. on a Friday night, and you are coming home from work, ready for the long weekend ahead. You are excited to see your daughter, who has just come home from college and you have not seen for three months. You cannot wait to see her, and you cannot wait to get home, finally able to have dinner as a family. So you speed up, just a little. Then, you hear the familiar sound of a text notification coming from your phone. You don’t look at first, but then your curiosity gets the best of you. You know you shouldn’t text and drive, but you worry it might be your daughter texting you. It’ll be fine. You think to yourself, there’s no one on the road, and it’ll only be for a second. You look down and smile at the picture your daughter sent of her and your wife. You have to text back, she looks so happy. You don’t notice that your car has crept into the lane next to you.

It was only a second.

Drivers’ education is a necessity in reducing the number of casualties resulting from reckless driving. Studies have shown that drivers who have not completed drivers ed are significantly more likely to be involved in a fatal crash or injury. A drivers ed is necessary in order to learn to be a resourceful driver. Similar to how one must get an education to become a surgeon, a drivers ed must be a requisite to be able to get behind the wheel, where their actions also put the lives of others at risk. Recklessness must be minimized as much as possible, and a drivers ed is the first step in doing so.

To reduce the number of casualties caused from reckless driving, steps must be implemented. Drivers should not drive for more than three hours straight, especially on the highway, where long-distance driving can cause highway hypnosis, slowing down reflexes and decision-making skills.

Have I seen people drive recklessly? Certainly, and oftentimes, many reckless drivers are older and experienced. However, they rely on their experience to justify their actions, putting themselves and their passengers in danger. Drivers should have to retake a written test in order to continue to drive after thirty years of receiving their first license. After all, driving is a privilege, not a right, and one must be able to display that they are entitled to it.

To be a better driver, one must expect the unexpected. When you are on the road, you are operating a piece of metal weighing thousands of pounds. At any moment, anything can happen, and the only way to be ready for it is to be paying attention at all times.

That one second could be the determining factor that decides if you are able to make it home to dinner.