Importance of Driver’s Education

Driver’s education has been proven to encourage adherence to traffic laws and therefore prevent driving-related deaths as many young adults are learning how to drive and beginning to operate their own vehicles. The more that is said amongst teens themselves regarding the topic, the more young people will become aware of the true importance of protecting themselves and other drivers. As someone who has been in quite a severe accident, this topic weighs heavy on my heart, and I am genuinely passionate about spreading awareness.

When I was five years old, I was in an accident that totaled my mother’s vehicle. The collision happened on Halloween night, and for the rest of my childhood, I had anxiety about being in the car. The accident happened when my mom made a decision in the moment, acting on her gut feeling. She saw a car stopped in front of her and swerved into the oncoming lane to avoid it, where there was then a car coming towards us. There was a direct head-on collision, and just like that, our lives had changed, and we were lucky to be alive. Neither of us knew then the impact it would have on our family and how much we would all collectively learn from it.

A lesson I learned directly from my experience that emphasizes healthy driving habits and should be more widely encouraged is to remain balanced and calm right before and during the accident. While this advice may be given a few times in actual classes some young drivers may take, I know personally that the booklets given to teens studying for their permit test independently do not mention it. Staying calm and rational during a stressful and potentially fatal interaction allows you to think rationally and could be the difference between life and death. Being attentive and aware of your surroundings gives you the ability to anticipate dangerous situations. I truly believe if this message was communicated more and better understood, it could seriously decrease the amount of driving-related deaths that occur just by reminding people to stay confident.

Conversation and education regarding staying calm and attentive could save so many lives that it should be obvious to encourage. I am thankful for the real-life experiences that have allowed me to learn these lessons without being directly harmed to such an extent. That being said, not many kids have the same unique positioning and opportunities to learn as I did and will not until something has directly affected them. Adding small sections to the booklet specifically addressing distracted and emotional driving would be a great start, and it would introduce young drivers to the concept. As a student with limited outreach but unlimited passion for the topic, I encourage everyone I know to implement safe driving skills and do my best to provide good examples for my younger sister.

One problem that does not apply to my previously mentioned situation but is still very relevant in my generation is intoxicated driving. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 31% of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers ages 16-19 had positive blood alcohol concentrations (2022). As teens connect with their adult classmates and obtain these substances, it becomes normalized amongst them to operate their vehicles carelessly, unaware of the potential consequences to follow. This is a particularly tricky topic to enforce because almost all instructors and adults will encourage you not to drive under the influence, so it isn’t like kids have never heard that stated before. Personally, I find a distinction between being instructed not to behave a certain way by a guardian and being advised not to by a friend of the same age. Nearly every teen has a story of someone they know who has driven or been driven by an individual under the influence. Such stories vouch for how important it is to avoid engaging in such a situation, thus giving young people real-life reasons from other teens they trust not to partake when shared.

My personal story regarding someone I know who has driven under the influence is about a friend from my earlier years in high school. This girl met up with an individual she was not well acquainted with and ended up in the car with him for almost an hour before he drove his vehicle into a light pole on the side of the road. She was not the type of person to put herself in a situation like that, demonstrating how quickly social pressure can turn into a very serious problem. My friend ended up with stitches in her arm, but thankfully, everyone survived. To this day, she refuses to accept a ride from anyone she does not know well. In light of these facts, the numbers are decreasing. Stricter enforcement of laws prohibiting this behavior, as well as increased communication between teens and students, would most definitely contribute to decreasing the number of deaths in substance-related accidents.

Overall, operating a vehicle is a task that requires skill, focus, responsibility, and maturity. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned, and I find pure enjoyment in sharing these stories with others to encourage them to practice safe habits. Educating young students both in and out of the classroom may help save lives. Too many young lives are lost for avoidable reasons, and we must do our best to spread the word before it is too late for someone to hear it.