Empowering Safe Driving: The Importance and Application of Road Safety in Reducing Fatalities

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of road deaths cannot be understated. Like a lot of things in life, driving is an acquired skill and the more information and direction you receive during the learning process will improve the ability to execute and lead to a safer experience for both the driver, the passengers, and the pedestrians. It is equally important to have both practical instruction and classroom education during this time. However, through my experience in taking driving lessons and passing the state driving test, I believe that not enough emphasis is put upon “accident avoidance”. There are several factors that can contribute to an accident. Reading about these things – or being shown a video – is one thing, but actually experiencing them – through real life driving situations – is another.

Although I’ve never been involved in an accident, I have been in situations where that possibility was present. I have witnessed distracted drivers (changing radio channels, eating, or reading texts on their phone) as well as acting irresponsibly behind the wheel (e.g. speeding up to beat a red light). My ex-boyfriend proved himself to be an awful driver. I didn’t have my license at the time, so he drove me to most places. Oftentimes, he would go way over the speed limit, take sharp corners, and constantly mess with the radio station. As if that wasn’t enough, he had extreme road rage which made the situation more dangerous. He was very careless with his driving even though he had another person in his care. I never felt safe driving with him and told him on many occasions to slow down and pay attention to the road, but my pleas fell on deaf ears.

For me personally, of all the things I was able to do to improve my driving skills, the most beneficial was a practical driving course I attended in Concord, NC. Named B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) the company is operated by a father who lost his two sons in a car accident many years ago – which led him to create this valuable course for young drivers.

We started our day with a classroom session learning about the curriculum, importance of driver safety, and why this course can be helpful for any age driver (my dad attended with me). After the education session, we went outside and started on the first exercise called “car control and skid recovery”. I went through this winding course and at every turn, the back wheels would skid out and you had to learn to counter steer to get out of the skid. This exercise aids the driver in situations involving bad weather and loss of control.

The next exercise was the “crash avoidance/slalom course”. This part of the session simulated an animal or debris/cargo from another vehicle getting in front of my car and blocking the way. It gives you a split second to decide how you can avoid this item safely. This part of the course also involved focus on weight transfer, eye positioning, and scanning. The driver has to navigate around a winding road of cones without hitting any of them.

Following that, we did the “off road/drop wheel recovery” exercise and the “panic stop” exercise. The drop wheel course teaches drivers to learn how to control the car and get it back onto the roadway after a drop wheel situation. The panic stop course is designed to teach drivers to safely but quickly stop a fast moving vehicle by using the anti lock braking system to gain control of the car.

Last – and my favorite part – was the “distraction” exercise. I put on a pair of glasses that simulated being drunk (we called them “drunk goggles”), turned up the radio, and had a passenger (the instructor) try to distract me with questions and obnoxious behavior while I was driving. I had to navigate a course dotted with people, cones, and then park – all while trying to ignore the distractions.

Although regular drivers education is useful in providing some practical driving experience and instructional guidance on laws and regulations, it is lacking in real world driving in emergency situations. The addition of a course similar to B.R.E.A.K.S would bridge that gap and provide new drivers with important driver skills. This, in my opinion, would result in far fewer driving accidents and fatalities and make the roads safer for all of us.