Driver Education: A Necessary Part to Road Safety

Anyone with the ability to drive a vehicle should be knowledgeable about the drastic consequences of driving unsafely. Reckless driving and speeding can lead to anything from small accidents and damage to vehicles or property to life-altering injuries and loss of life. Reckless driving and speeding have many causes. Distracted driving can be caused by cell phone use, intense conversation between passengers, the driver talking to passengers or someone on the phone, or loud music. It can result in drivers not realizing they are veering off the road or their lane, or they unknowingly begin to speed, which can result in accidents. Driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or any other substance can also be a cause of reckless driving or speeding. Substance use and abuse can cause drivers to have impaired reflexes, vision, and general awareness, all factors that are very important to operating any kind of vehicle. Driving under the influence can not only lead to a DUI charge for the driver, but it can also lead to horrible car accidents. To prevent these tragedies, all drivers should ensure they are always driving responsibly: sober, and with no distractions. That’s where driver education comes into play. I believe that proper driver education can drastically reduce the number of deaths resulting from reckless driving. People need to be taught and reminded how irresponsible behavior behind the wheel can alter not only their lives but the lives of others.

A student at Colonia High School, my former high school, was a varsity bowler and cheerleader and had hopes of becoming a professional bowler before her life was tragically cut short when she was killed in a car accident her sophomore year. She would be with us today hadn’t the driver operating the vehicle she was a passenger in lost control due to excessive speed. Safe driving would have saved this student’s life, which is why it is imperative to advocate for safe driving and bring awareness to the consequences of reckless vehicle operation to prevent these horrible accidents from repeating.

There are a lot of ways to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. It is important to instill a rule of quitting multitasking while driving a car. People get distracted by talking on the phone, texting, listening to loud music, eating, or drinking. These trivial activities can very easily turn deadly under certain circumstances. Having a monitoring device in your car when driving would also be very impactful. Such monitoring devices report speeding, driving too slowly, excessive acceleration, slamming on brakes, and even taking turns too quickly. In my opinion, such devices can be very beneficial, even lifesaving, especially for young drivers. I think they should be required for teenage drivers to help prevent the development of bad driving habits and would be a good tool for anyone to incorporate into their everyday driving.

Another way to reduce driving-related deaths would be to have breathalyzers built into cars, which would prevent people under the influence of alcohol from starting their vehicles. Accidents caused by drunk or high drivers are the main cause of automotive deaths. One such horrific accident happened in my tennis circle a few years ago. A drunk driver was driving the wrong way and hit a car carrying four high school tennis players from Long Island. Two of them, freshmen, were killed instantly. Stories like this should be taught during driver education courses to show the drastic consequences of irresponsible driving.

Driving improvement courses are another way of educating people about the dangers of reckless driving, strategies for dealing with real-life situations on the road, and maintaining your vehicle. My family once barely avoided a horrific accident when traveling on the New York Thruway on our way back from a vacation. A pickup truck traveling in the opposite direction lost its wheel, which was thrown off the vehicle and jumped over the highway divider, traveling in our direction. It missed our car by mere feet. While accidents like this may happen, it shows you how important vehicle maintenance is, and driving improvement courses can make people more aware of it and how they can keep up their car. Some insurance companies even offer a discount on your auto insurance for taking the course periodically. This is a great incentive to take such a course, especially for young drivers, whose insurance premiums tend to be very high.

Everyone can take measures to improve safety on the roads. We can offer to be a designated driver for our friends hanging out at night or pitch in to get an Uber or taxi instead. We must not be afraid to speak up when someone under the influence is planning or about to operate a vehicle. By sharing our experiences with dangerous and reckless behavior on the roads, we can make each other aware that it can actually happen to anyone, and that one bad decision can alter the lives of many, including ours.