Life-Saving Driver’s Education

Driver’s Education is the undebatable requirement in knowledgable and safe drivers. Without the attention to proper maneuvers, laws that must be abided by, and even the more “straight-forward” classes that hammer in the concepts of avoiding drugs and alcohol, the average person would find themselves in extremely difficult and unsafe situations on the road that could result in death. A person’s level of road safety is dependent on their education. In 2022, over 42,000 deaths in the United States were direct products of car crashes; highlighting the degree of severity that proper safety on the road should be seen. People die daily as a result of unsafe practices on the road, and the only way to prevent such horrific statistics/accidents is to ensure that all roadways are in use by drivers who have had a thorough and appropriate Driver’s Education.

When it comes down to simply putting steps to avoid deaths in relation to driving, it can easily be put into a 3 step list. To begin, I believe it is necessary that people interested in receiving a driver’s license should have to take a test beyond the permit test that focuses on more “real-life” situations. This would showcase a prospective driver’s ability to assess common sense situations. I believe this step would be helpful since a lot of accidents are results of insufficient experience on the road and inability to truly use one’s intuition. Secondly, I believe it is supremely necessary that we have an age in which elderly driver’s have to retake their license tests. I see many drivers over the age of 70 being the culprits/victims of fatal crashes. It can become dangerous for other drivers on the road when a person who may have insufficient hearing, sight, and even thinking as a result of age, is on the road. I know from experience that elderly drivers tend to be a little more dangerous, whether it be the difference in Driver’s Education when they began their driving, or just their changes as a result of age. I have driven with my grandparents, and I can assure that there is a clear difference. My grandmother will drive far below the speed limit and build traffic, she tends to ignore a lot of signs that detail the conditions and requirements on specific roads. I love her and I am concerned for her safety. A test to evaluate an elderly person’s driving should definitely be required in order to prevent more fatalities on the road. For a final step, it would be extremely helpful if the behind-the-wheel elements of Driver’s Education were more thorough. It is understandable that a prospective driver is expected to use their permit to the best of their abilities and make sure to practice driving outside of classes. Yet, I have seen many of my friends do the behind-the-wheel driving classes and no driving outside of that. This is irresponsible, and goes beyond the breach of principle in a person’s assurance of driver safety and knowledge. It highlights that some driving students are in situations where they either are unable to drive outside classes because of a lack of guardian involvement, or they are not motivated enough. Outside of the reasoning, it simply shows that many people receiving or going for their licenses are lacking in experience. For that reason, I believe that more behind-the-wheel experience should be required, otherwise the roads are filled with drivers who don’t understand common practices on the road.

Any age range of driver can be dangerous, and I have had many experiences in passenger seats where I have been faced with unsafe drivers behind the wheel. I have grown up with a father who wanted to be a Nascar driver when he was my age, and it is reflected in his driving. I believe my dad is a great driver, although at times his speed and maneuvers are somewhat irresponsible. In my family we label his use of the road as, “Recklessly-Safe”. His driving has fortunately not affected my perception on road safety, and if anything has taught me what to avoid in my driving. I choose to maintain the speed limit, not drive competitively on the highway, and to drive both defensively and offensively compared to my father’s strictly offensive driving. Outside family-ties, before I had my license I drove with friends who had their licenses for the required amount of time. Despite respecting the laws for time needed to have certain passengers, many of my friends drove irresponsibly and put both themselves and me at risk. Between my family and my friends I have learned to take the good elements of their driving and banish the bad ones in order to better my own driving.

I have only 2 simple steps as to how to better my own driving. When faced with situations that I don’t know the immediate answer to on the road, I choose to think back on those “grueling” hours behind a computer screen where I learned all the important tactics to ensure safe driving on the road. Finally, I draw on my personal experiences. Whether it be behind-the-wheel efforts, or times where I was sitting by and watching someone else on the road, all types of experiences are important to making any driver far better.