Souls and Statistics: Why Improving Driver’s Education Should Be Top Priority

An effective driver’s education should be a priority of education for every new driver. Because cars are such an essential part of American life, the risks they pose affect most citizens. According to the CDC, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teens, comprising about one-third of all fatalities. Many of these deaths can be attributed to a lack of awareness or inaccurate risk calculation, which are issues teens struggle with in many areas of life. Luckily, there are many options available to minimize risks when behind the wheel. Whether it is building safe driving habits, speaking out when necessary, or just turning down the radio, small improvements can save lives. First and foremost, though, an effective education is paramount to ensuring teens are safe on the road without putting themselves, their passengers, and fellow drivers in danger.

The broadest and most effective solution by far is the implementation of robust and personalized driver’s ed programs. These courses should be mandatory for both young drivers and experienced ones. To make these courses more approachable and effective, instructors must take the time to both build confidence in new drivers and teach them to respect the responsibility of driving. I have many friends who either struggle to drive or have not gotten their licenses yet because they fear judgment and harshness from instructors. While learning how to operate a vehicle, driver’s ed courses must reiterate the leading causes of accidents, and just how common accidents are, and what protocols can be used to avoid them. A dynamic approach which blends the behind-the-wheel experience, friendly and effective instructors, and repetition of statistics would help to ensure the safety of every driver. For teen drivers especially, they must be repeatedly taught that they are not invincible, and that they are, in fact, in the riskiest demographic. Because teens lack a fully developed frontal lobe, they believe that they are the exception to the rule, and that they know best. They must hear the unfortunate stories about how kids similar to them have been involved in deadly accidents.

One of the experiences that shaped my views on this subject came secondhand. My grandfather was helping on the family farm when he came upon a four-way intersection surrounded by tall corn. A driver had failed to stop and had t-boned another car. Many were injured. The man’s passenger did not make it. The gruesome details from my grandpa were horrific, but necessary for me to process just how devastating a seemingly small mistake can be on the road. I have never been in a car accident, or even a small collision, but sometimes I witness older family members distractedly driving on phone. It is frustrating because they often ignore me when I ask them to use Siri instead, or just to put the phone down. Disheartening and selfish, such an attitude communicates a lack of care for the safety of those in the vehicle. Interestingly, negligence can lead to emotional damage and mistrust even if nobody is physically injured. Stories about at school about the reckless actions peers take on the road. My schoolmates often brag about speeding excessively in residential areas, and their stories are often met with the admiration from the underclassmen. To me, though, these anecdotes are sickening. I have had classmates who never show up to school again after a fatal accident. I can only hope the ones telling these brazen stories do not end up a part of the statistics they ignore. Numbers may seem impersonal, but they cannot lie; when the percentages deal with souls, it is best not to ignore them.

The corrective actions correlate directly to the problems. If I see distracted driving, I must call it out. If they ignore the backlash, there should not be any shame in stepping out of the vehicles of irresponsible drivers. The interpersonal conflict is worth the trouble. I would much rather argue than be physically harmed or killed. When interacting with my mobile device, waiting until the car is parked or using voice commands help me to keep my eyes on the road. Of course, turning music down and minimizing distractions is essential to safely driving. Everyone knows how difficult it is to drive with rowdy passengers. Given the amount of attention driving requires, I should set an expectation for my friends to behave when we drive. It is easy to become desensitized to the risks of driving because of how often we drive, even to those who have been in accidents before. Improving driver’s education, cultivating a mindset of safety, and holding others accountable are all important because driving truly is a life or death matter.