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As a licensed driver with well over 30 years of experience behind the wheel, I will be the first to confess that stoplights can be very annoying. This especially rings true when I am in a hurry to get somewhere. We've all been there. There are certain intersections we have all become familiar with, and we know that if we arrive after the light has turned red, we'll be sitting there for what seems like an eternity. There is an aspect of physics that nobody will find in a textbook; an unwritten law of sorts, that goes something like this: Whenever you're in a hurry, time will seemingly rush by at an accelerated rate.

That is; unless we are delayed in our quest to arrive at a specific point by a certain time. For example, if we have 20 minutes to travel a distance that would normally require 30 minutes because we're running 10 minutes behind schedule, a red stoplight of 60 seconds in duration will seem to last for 3, 4, or 5 minutes instead. We become anxious as we impatiently tap our fingers on the steering wheel or dashboard waiting for that cursed light to turn green so we can resume our trip. As we arrive at the intersection while the yellow caution light is illuminated, the most excitable and intolerant among us will be tempted to put the gas pedal to the floorboard in an attempt to beat the traffic light's inevitable transformation to red.

Thankfully, for most of us, common sense prevails in the span of mere milliseconds as we make the decision to apply the brakes and prepare to stop. If this were not the case, the 40,000 or so annual traffic fatalities that occur annually in this country would most certainly double; if not triple. Stoplights are placed at intersections for a reason, and that is to regulate the flow of traffic and to maintain a semblance of order. In their absence, drivers arriving from any and all directions would be left to fend for themselves, and the result would be utter chaos. Running a red light is akin to jaywalking across a busy highway or street while blindfolded and hoping that you won't be broadsided by an object traveling at least 10 times your velocity that also weighs more than 10 times what you do. You are quite literally not only risking your life, but also the lives of other drivers and passengers. Should an individual choose to run a red light during peak times of traffic, the likelihood of a catastrophic accident is virtually guaranteed. This is why laws against such careless behavior were put into place. Disregarding these rules is not only extremely dangerous, but stupid as well.

Therefore, whenever I'm in a hurry and happen to come across a red stoplight, I take a deep breath and deal with it. I want to live to see grandchildren. And you know what? Others do, too.

Learn more about this author, Patrick Sills.
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