You’re Not Too Cool for Driving School

When you think of your 16th birthday, getting your driver’s license is probably one of the first events that comes to mind. This is an exciting milestone and a big step towards freedom and independence for many teens, but it also comes with risks and a great amount of responsibility. Teen drivers are 3 times more likely to get in a fatal accident than drivers above the age of 20, and an average of 7 teenagers die each day as a result of motor vehicle crashes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2021).Statistics like these are scary to hear for new drivers and their parents, and they raise the question: what can be done to improve these numbers and reduce the dangers of driving? I am going to share with you how I am being proactive with driving safety, as well as strategies that can be implemented on a larger scale to help protect young drivers and reduce the number of deaths while driving.

Before I even began driving, I was introduced to the risks that come with being on the road. When I was 15 and about to get my learner’s permit, one of my close friends was driving irresponsibly and was in a wreck. While the accident was thankfully very minor and nobody was injured, it opened my eyes to the potential dangers of distracted driving. Seeing a wreck happen to someone I was close to made me realize that something similar could happen to me, and the risks of driving seemed much more real than before. This event helped motivate me to ensure that when I started driving, I took all of the necessary safety precautions to reduce my risk of being in a wreck. I talked with my parents, and we came up with several strategies to help improve my safety on the road.

One of the most important steps my parents and I took to prepare me for driving was enrolling me in an online driver’s education course offered through our insurance. This course had a series of videos and activities for me to complete that helped me familiarize myself with traffic laws, common hazards on the road, and defensive driving practices. After completing these lessons, I felt like I had a better understanding of what to expect when I was actually behind the wheel. Because the driver’s education course explained to me some of the common mistakes young drivers make, I knew to be mindful of these behaviors when I was driving and take proactive steps to avoid these errors. I have never been in an accident while driving, and I believe that is largely thanks to the course I took to prepare myself for driving. Thanks to driver’s education, I was a more prepared and well-informed driver once I got my license.

Statistics across the United States also support the idea that driver’s education plays a significant role in reducing the number and fatalities and motor vehicle accidents for teens. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln published results of a study that followed 150,000 teenagers for eight years and tracked data about their driving records. Results show that teenagers who completed driver’s education were 75% less likely to receive a ticket for a traffic violation and 24% less likely to be in a fatal motor vehicle accident (Newman 2015) These findings present solid evidence that diver’s education courses play a crucial role in reducing the number of traffic violations and wrecks among the teenage population.

Unfortunately, despite studies showing the numerous benefits of driver’s education, many states have stopped funding such programs and claim that they are not worth the expense. Due to the cost of a private driver’s education course, they are inaccessible to many families in states that do not fund classes. This presents a concerning problem. When states cut funding for these driver’s education classes, they deny this potentially life-saving preparation to a large portion of the population. I believe that states should reinstate and expand driver’s education programs to make this service available to as many teenagers as possible. While the immediate cost would be higher, states would likely end up saving money in the long term. Motor vehicle accidents and court cases to appeal traffic violations are expensive, and driver’s education classes would help decrease these costs (Newman 2015). Not to mention the young lives that could be saved by better preparing teenagers for the responsibility of driving, which is well worth any monetary cost.

Driver’s education courses are a practical and incredibly useful tool for reducing the rates of driving incidents for teenagers. After I witnessed my friend being in a car wreck due to distracted driving, I was grateful to have the opportunity to take one of the courses to help me feel confident and prepared for the responsibility of driving. I do my best to encourage all of my friends to follow these steps in preparing for driving, and I advocate for a push on a higher level in the state governments to promote safer driving in teenagers. I believe that if states fund driver’s education programs to make them more accessible to the general population, teens and their families will follow suit and do their part in taking the opportunity for these courses. With a combined effort from the government and from individuals, we can educate and prepare teen drivers to increase safety on the roads and prevent the loss of lives to motor vehicle accidents.

Works Cited

“Teen Drivers: Get The Facts”. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html. Accessed March 20, 2022.

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Newman, Ian. “Study: Driver’s Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, Tickets | News Releases | University Of Nebraska-Lincoln”. Newsroom.Unl.Edu, 2015, https://newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/13/Study:+Driver’s+ed+significantly+reduces+teen+crashes,+tickets. Accessed march 20, 2022.