Drivers Education: The Path to Becoming an Aware Driver

According to the official website of the History Channel, Rhode Island became the first state in the U.S. to require its residents to obtain driver’s education and pass a driving test in 1908 (Nix). This was a wise decision to make after the creation of Henry Ford’s widely accessible Model T automobile of that same year, seeing as how being an educated driver has statistically been proven to decrease one’s chances of causing or being the victim of a car crash, in turn reducing the likelihood of them causing a car-related injury/death. Since driver education plays such an important role in lessening the mortality rate of driving, making this education more easily available, such as through online courses, must also diminish the number of car-related deaths in America. This is due to the fact that attaining a driver’s education allows one to better their awareness, the trait I personally believe to be the most valuable when it comes to road safety. Through the use of my own experiences with car crashes and reckless driving, I will inform readers of the steps that they can take to be safer and more aware drivers.

Firstly, it is imperative to understand the importance of being an educated driver if one wishes also to be a safe driver. Not only are those who undergo Driver’s Ed less likely to be a part of a fatal car accident, but they are also less likely to be a part of any accident or traffic violation. In a 2015 study conducted by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Driver’s Ed students and non-Driver’s Ed drivers were compared to each other in three separate fields: percentage involved in a car crash, percentage involved in a crash that caused death or injury, and percentage of those ticketed for committing a traffic violation. According to the study, “11.1 percent of the driver’s education cohort was involved in a car crash, compared to 12.9 percent of those who did not take driver’s education. 2.1 percent of the driver’s education group was involved in an accident that caused injury or death, compared to 2.6 percent of those who did not take driver’s education. 10.4 percent of students who took driver’s education was ticketed for moving traffic violations, compared to 18.3 percent of those who did not take driver’s education.” Additionally, this trend was found to still hold true even when drivers were impaired via alcohol (Reed). So even in the case of drunk driving, an activity renowned for its inherent deadliness, driver education alone is able to reduce the likelihood of harm and death in such a perilous situation.

Since driver education has such a great role in reducing the number of driving-related deaths, one can then reasonably infer that getting more people to go through driver education would in turn decrease the national rate of death caused by car accidents. The only question that remains is how one would go about increasing the availability of driver education. One solution that is already widely used is online Driver’s Ed courses. When compared to in-person courses, online courses offer the same benefits of heightening one’s driving knowledge and skills while also not being a burden on their schedule. According to a student who took the online Driver’s Ed courses offered by DmvEdu.org, the courses were “easy and convenient to my schedule. I met all my legal state requirements and instead of sitting in a boring class, I was able to take it from the convenience of my own home! All the material was easy to read and learn from. I highly recommend this online course”. Sporting equal efficiency as in-person courses while also boasting the added convenience of being able to remain within the comforts of one’s own residence, online Driver’s Ed courses are the most direct way of expanding the reach of driver education, which should also lead to an overall decrease in the number of deaths related to driving. To ensure a reduction in car-related casualties, more driving programs should offer online educational courses, thus allowing more drivers the opportunity to experience Driver’s Ed.

Now, for this entire essay, I have been singing the praises of Driver’s Ed. It’s not that it doesn’t deserve such compliments, it’s just ironic because I’ve actually never taken Driver’s Ed. Perhaps this was a main contributing factor to my involvement in a car crash. What happened was that I was pulling forward out of my school’s parking lot, which you generally aren’t supposed to do. At the same time this was happening, another person directly in front of me was backing out. I pumped the brakes and attempted to reverse, but the other driver was going too fast and ran into the front of my car. Now, the driver at fault in this scenario doesn’t really matter, because both parties lacked a key trait that would’ve entirely prevented this crash: awareness. Being an aware driver is the characteristic I consider to be the most important when it comes to also being a responsible and safe driver. If I had been more aware of my surroundings that day, I would have recognized how silly it was to try to pull forward out of a crowded parking lot. If the other driver had been more aware, he would’ve noticed me behind him and avoided the collision. Either way, being aware of one’s self and their surroundings is probably the number one component in determining if someone will avoid getting into an accident while driving. This is supported by the fact that people are much more likely to get into accidents when their awareness is compromised, such as being drunk. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation, “Drivers with a BAC of .08 are approximately 4 times more likely to crash than drivers with a BAC of zero. At a BAC of .15, drivers are at least 12 times more likely to crash than drivers with a BAC of zero” (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). With all that being said, if someone were to want to become a better and safer driver, I would personally advise them to work on improving their awareness and to be constantly vigilant while driving. Though, I would do well to follow my own advice if I wish to avoid causing another wreck.

When it comes down to it, those who have gone through Driver’s Ed are simply more capable drivers than those who haven’t; they are straight up less likely to crash their vehicles than those sans driver’s education. Knowing this, it’s easy to see how important driver education is in preventing car-related deaths, which is why steps need to be taken to make Driver’s Ed more accessible to newer drivers in order to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Furthermore, attaining a driver’s education allows one to improve in many areas of driving, but perhaps the most important facet of one’s driving skill set that is improved through Driver’s Ed is awareness. With my being involved in a car accident in the past, I am quite aware of the importance of always being aware while driving. I can use this experience to improve the driving of others and myself by taking the steps to sharpen our awareness while on the road.

Works Cited

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Drunk Driving | Statistics and Resources.” NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation, https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving#nhtsa-in-action. Accessed 3 July 2024.

Nix, Elizabeth. “When was the first U.S. driver’s license issued?” HISTORY, 24 June 2016, https://www.history.com/news/when-was-the-first-u-s-drivers-license-issued. Accessed 3 July 2024.

Reed, Leslie. “Study: Driver’s ed significantly reduces teen crashes, tickets | News Releases | University of Nebraska-Lincoln.” Nebraska Today, Office of University Communications, 13 August 2015, https://newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/13/Study:+Driver’s+ed+significantly+reduces+teen+crashes,+tickets. Accessed 3 July 2024.

Russell, George. Quote. DmvEdu.org, https://www.dmvedu.org/drivers-ed-online/.