Implications of Driving in Florida

Florida, while cherished for its picturesque beaches and rich culture, unfortunately carries a less enviable reputation on the roadways. Florida had an average of 1.58 traffic deaths per one hundred million vehicle miles traveled according to the Florida Firm. These numbers are extremely high especially when you consider how many drivers there are present in Florida. My hypothesis to the reason on why this number is so high is because of the minimal driver education needed to get a license.

Reflecting on my own experience, as a seventeen-year-old who secured his license in August 2023, the journey to becoming a licensed driver seemed surprisingly straightforward. When I was first getting my education for my permit all I had to do was take an online course that thought me the basics of defensive driving and the rules needed to know for driving. After taking the course I would have to take an online test that would count for the real test. After I passed the test, all I had to do was go to the DMV and present the paper worked needed to get my permit. All this in the span of around three months. However, the course is fully self-paced, and you were able to complete the course even quicker than the amount of time I took. Especially if I were to have put in my full attention on completing the course, I reckon the completion time could have been around one to two months. If that does not raise concerns as to how Florida student drivers are allowed to get on the road, then I do not know what does. Of course, to officially get a driver’s license down in Florida as a teenager, it is needed to have the learner’s permit for a year or over. My parents made sure that I drove the recommended hours driven during day, night, and rain. This is forty-five hours driven over the day and around twelve for night and rain. During my time driving as a learner, my dad would be in vehicle while I was driving. My dad is not an atrocious driver, but he tends to drive a little bit quicker than the average driver; however, he did get a hundred on his driver’s exam and I did not. My dad made sure that everything that I did while driving would allow me to be a safe driver. He made sure at every stop sign I stopped for at least three seconds. I remember getting scolded for merging in the wrong lane when turning. My dad would make sure that I kept withing the speed limit, as I started to reach 5 miles per hour over the limit, he would start telling me to slow down. I believe my dad has made it so that I would be able to drive as safe as possible because he truly cares for what would happen while drove and that he would be confident in me driving alone. This story is not the case for every Florida Driver. My experience of driving down Florida roads and with also being a passenger, I can attest to there being drivers that should not be driving. Whether it be cars that would not pass any safety regulations and cars running red lights at speeds. Thankfully my whole life I have not been in a car accident. But I have seen a multitude of car crashes, whether it being a being flipped upside down and caught on fire to the smallest fender bender. Actually, just a past weekend I saw a BMW SUV being driven into a Walgreens. Yes, that is right driven into the building. This lady drove a brand-new BMW into a Walgreens while parking. Everyone in the building was wondering what the huge thud was, well it turns out it was car. I have also seen a car flip over while on the freeway and catch fire.

To me it is necessary to get drivers the right education. As I drive today, I often see drivers cutting lanes just to end up stopping at the red line that I got to about a minute later. The risks that drivers take while getting on the road needs to be given to every driver before they are able to get on the road. Florida’s traffic death rate is one of the highest out of the 50 states. Before allowing a teenager to get a license there needs to better education given to them. The leading cause of car crashes are teenagers that do not have much experience. I can attest to this as I am a teenager myself and have seen the people drive in my school and most of them look inexperienced whether it be driving on their cellphones or even just talking to their friends. To be a safer driver I need to make sure that I keep my friends in check, and I keep myself in check. I would do this by making sure that I do not take unnecessary risks and that I drive the appropriate speed limit.