The Danger of Uneducated Drivers

Nearly 44,000 people die in car accidents in the United States alone. That is 44,000 people who could have been mothers, fathers, mentors, children. This is a problem that we are seeing more and more in our society, which is why it is so important that people take a driver’s education class. There they can learn how to safely operate their motor vehicles, and know what to do in case of an emergency or malfunction.

By requiring every person who wishes to obtain a license to take a driver’s education course, they are more informed of how to drive. With how the law is in some states, people who are over the age of 18 are not required to take a driver’s education class. The simple have to take their road test, and they are then able to receive a license. I believe that this is a flawed system, since those who do take this route to achieve a license don’t typically know how to drive. Yes, they may be able to get a vehicle from point A to point B and follow simple rules of the road, but they may not know of the more uncommon rules. For example, when a school bus has its sign out and is letting off children, both directions of traffic must stop. It does not matter if they are going the opposite way of the bus, unless on a divided highway. Countless times I have either witnessed this from in my car, or been getting off the bus myself. Things like this are very dangerous and highly deadly if the driver is distracted. This, distracted driving, is another reason why driver’s education is so important.

I vividly remember my 3 days of segment two driver’s education. We had to listen to the stories of multiple different drivers, those you and older, and hear how they got into car crashes. We also had to watch the story of a young girl who unfortunately passed away in an accident. Things like this are so important to see. I feel, if people have to witness the effects of their negligence, they would be more hesitant before driving with a distraction. In that same class, they also told us how just by simply holding your phone while behind the wheel could result in a ticket. These things need to be known to all drivers to make our roads safer. Too many times have I witnessed, while in the car with my parents, them holding their phone to read a text, or to answer a call. I always bring it up but nothing seems to change. Hearing that from another adult, however, may be more impactful.

Another thing I think should be done is mandatory class when you go to renew your license. Yes, having a license means you know how to drive, but even experienced drivers may be unsure of how a rule of driving works. For example, when I would be in the car with my mother, I would ask her questions pertaining to right-of-way and other things like that. I was currently enrolled in my segment one class and wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing. For the most part, she was able to answer my questions about driving, but there were a few times where she herself didn’t know the answer. I would’ve expected her to know, since she has been driving for around 35 years, but she didn’t. There were other times where I would quiz her on things I had learned in class that day, and she also wasn’t able to answer. This is something that should not be happening with older drivers. They should be knowledgeable on how all aspects of the road work, and not have to sit and ponder a simple question. And for senior citizens, I believe there should be a more definite cutoff age for driving. Older people may have a harder time retaining information, and they also tend to drive in ways that may cause a crash. They should be cutoff at around age 85, and given a pass so they can use the bus to get around.

I would love to see the roads in this country, and ultimately all around the world, become a safer place. Too many times has my mom hesitated about me getting my license due to the roads in the country being terribly unsafe. By educating drivers and truly showing them how to obey the laws of the road, I think we as a society will be one step closer to safe roads.