Breaking down Drivers Education: The importance of knowledge

The first time you’re behind the wheel after taking the permit test is terrifying. The unknown is impossible and there is so much that can happen in an instant. New drivers do not understand the importance of driver education. They just shrug off what they had to learn for the permit test and forget about it. This causes severe dangers to themselves and to others. No car can stop on a dime no matter how big or small they are. The more educated a driver is, the more likely they are to not cause an accident or a fatality. Experience is a big key in driver education, the more experience you get the better the driver you will become. This also prepares the driver for scary situations when they are driving by themselves after they pass their test.

No matter how many safety precautions a driver takes, there will always be the potential risk of injury or fatality for either themselves or another driver. There are few ideas floating around as to how to take more steps into staying safe, but one that should be looked into more would be little quizzes with instructors to prepare the driver. These quizzes could help the driver stay calm when they go to take their drivers test. The quiz could be simple things, like parallel parking, getting on the highway, merging, and how to act when someone has road rage. They could help the driver learn more about their car, the road, and how the test will be without the stress. The more experience you receive, the better you will be, especially when you can stay calm in a stressful situation.

Hearing of a crash can be terrifying, not knowing who got hurt and what will happen to them. In fifth grade, my math and science teacher, Mr. Batkowski, was in a terrible crash. He was from Lewisburg around thirty minutes away from our school, and he was never late. However, on this day he was super late. The bell rang, and we were all sitting in our seats waiting for him to show up. We sat there for twenty to thirty minutes when the other teacher we had came over to check on us. She asked where he was and we were all as confused as she was. On his side he was dropping his daughter off at school, minutes before the crash. He was sitting at a red light when a tractor trailer, who was in the wrong lane, collided with his car head on. This collision caused him to get a concussion, whiplash, broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and a seatbelt bruise across his chest. The engine from his car was sitting in the passenger seat where his daughter was sitting right before. He was gone for five months, leaving us with a substitute who could not teach fifth grade students. This started to hurt my education because I could not focus and could not learn from the substitute.

There are always so many ways to improve yourself while driving. You can focus more, turn off the radio, stay off your phone, and not talk to passengers. As a second-year driver, I have learned a lot about driving. I have gotten better at watching my surroundings and watching other drivers; being always ready to slow down or stop. Growing up on backroads I was trained to always keep an eye out for wildlife crossing the roads. This helps me stay attentive. Even when I am not driving, I am always watching to help. Turning off the radio helps you stay focused because you’re not singing along and messing around. Putting your phone away is an extremely good idea as well. I have first hand experience with being on my phone and hitting something. I was going to my father’s work, and I looked down at my phone to see where I was going, and I ran into the back of a car sitting at a red light. Thankfully I just bumped him, and he had a hitch on his vehicle so it punched two little cuts into my front bumper and there was no legal action taken. My father was mad at me but was glad that nothing else happened and both people were safe. Since then I have vowed to stay off of my phone while driving, I stay more focused and more attentive. I think everyone should put their phones in areas where they cannot reach them while driving, that way it is out of sight and out of mind. When you have a passenger they should not be messing around with you. If they do, you need to tell them to stop. If they are annoying you and talking to you while you try to stay focused, then you should pull over and tell them to stop or they will need to get another ride. Staying safe while driving is important because you not only have your life in your hands, but you also have other drivers’ lives in your hands as well.

Driver safety is an extremely important thing that everyone should have immense training in. Going over a written test and driving a few times is not enough. We must have more effort when it comes to keeping drivers and passengers safe on and off the roads. With more real life situation simulators we could solve some of the issues that take lives on the roads. If we break down the way we learn, we can figure out where the system went wrong, and where we can solve new issues. Staying safe on the roads will save many lives!