Half a Second

Half a Second

Half a second. That’s all it takes to kill someone in a vehicular accident. A hummingbird flaps its wings approximately thirty-five times in half a second. Half a second is the difference between winning and losing a race. Half a second can be the critical breaking point between causing an automobile collision and safety.

Half a second is a simple lapse in concentration, the time it takes to check to see if you have any notifications on your phone or change the radio station when that host just won’t stop talking. This is one of the things my driving instructors really impressed upon me when I was taking Drivers ed. There’s a similar saying in a popular literary series: constant vigilance! That’s one of the things it takes to keep yourself and others safe on the road. By following this saying as well as the rules and regulations outlined during Drivers ed, I have three years of safe driving under my belt.

Things like knowing who has right of way, where to yield, and other common traffic rules keep myself, passengers, and other drivers safe because of the national understanding. Since most of the laws regulating driving are the same from state to state, people following these rules are able to help themselves and others stay safe. This is one of the most important things about Drivers ed- it gives people (especially teenagers) not only the opportunity to learn about driving laws, but also gives some practical experience with knowledgeable people in a somewhat safe manner. Knowing the difference between stopping and yielding at an intersection (and that pedestrians have the right of way) can save lives.

One step to help more drivers keep up on their knowledge include a quick refresher course every time they go in to renew their driver’s license. This course could be about five minutes long and cover any changes to driving laws since the last course, as well as the top five most common deadly driving mistakes. It would have to be interactive in order to keep the people engaged and have a fun, active voice narrating. At the end of the course would be a five-question quiz that would have to be passed, wherein there is one question per deadly driving mistake.

I, fortunately, have never been in an automobile accident, nor has any of my immediate family. However, in my small hometown, we did have a death and multiple injuries due to both a distracted driver and passengers neglecting their seatbelts. The death rocked the community, and it was both a heartbreaking and eye-opening moment for all of us, especially since those injured and killed were students at the local high school.

The number of steps a person can take to drive safely is too long to list. Some of the most important include knowing the driving laws in the area, having plenty of time to arrive at the destination to decrease stress, and, my personal favorite, constant vigilance. When a passenger in someone else’s vehicle, the best way to keep both people safe is to serve as another set of eyes and ears- keep an eye out for other vehicles, obstacles, and animals and an ear out for sirens, horns, or other sounds that could mean danger. After all, all it takes is half a second.