Name: Erica Richter
From: Ypsilanti, MI
Votes: 0
Erica
Richter
Driver’s
Education Essay Contest
31
December, 2019
Driver’s
Education: a Necessity for Road Safety
The
car growled as my grip on the door handle tightened. The speedometer
crept up increment by increment. Sixty. “Haha, what if there’s a
cop up here?” Seventy. “Seriously dude, it’s forty-five here.”
Eighty. “This isn’t funny” Ninety. “Oh my God, slow down!”
My face flushes red with fear as we barrel down the road. “Chill
out,” my friend says, “I’m a great driver.” The idea that one
is a great driver and having a false sense of safety is a result of
inexperience and often has dire consequences. Drivers ed
courses play a vital role in reducing the number of fatal car crashes
and should be made mandatory for getting a license.
Driver’s
education is important in reducing the number of driving fatalities
because it has been proven to lower the number of accidents.
According to Jackie Kass, the marketing manager at Drive Smart
Georgia, “95% of all car crashes are caused by driver error”
(Kass). If 95% of crashes are caused by human error, then many car
accidents could be prevented if drivers were more skilled. This means
that many deaths could be avoided by providing better training for
drivers. A study done by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln found
that people who obtain a license without taking drivers ed “are
24% more likely to be involved in a fatal accident” (Reed).
Participation in a drivers ed course and the likelihood of
being involved in a fatal accident are inversely related, so driver’s
education courses are a large factor in reducing car accident
fatalities.
To
reduce the number of driving deaths, drivers ed courses should be
mandatory for receiving a license. The AAA Foundation’s Driver
Safety Program found that drivers ed reduces crashes by 4.3%
(Edmonds). When drivers are taught by trained professionals, they are
equipped with tactics like scanning, defensive driving, and crash
prevention techniques. These techniques help drivers avoid
collisions, which reduces overall crash rates. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention found that “12% of teen car crashes
are not related to recklessness, but simple inexperience” (Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention). Drivers ed courses often
include mandatory supervised driving hours, which allow people to
gain experience behind the wheel with the protection of a trained
supervisor. By letting drivers develop their driving skills in a
controlled environment, they gain crucial road awareness. Making
drivers ed a prerequisite for licensure means more people will enter
the roadways as well-equipped drivers, in turn reducing the overall
crash rates.
Driver’s
education is necessary to minimize the number of fatal car crashes,
and anyone who wants a driver’s license should be required to take
it. The situation I mentioned earlier ended with no injuries, but
many are not so lucky. Driving is inherently dangerous, but drivers
ed serves to make it safer. Everyone should take the responsibility
to enroll in a drivers ed course before getting behind the wheel
to be a safer driver.
Works
Cited
“Back
to (Driving) School: More Crashes and Convictions for Teens That Skip
Driver Ed.” AAA
NewsRoom,
AAA, 29 Jan. 2015,
https://newsroom.aaa.com/2014/09/back-driving-school-crashes-convictions-teens-skip-driver-ed/.
Kass,
Jackie. “Concerned about Teen Driver Safety? Drivers Ed Reduces
Crash Risk.” Drive
Smart Georgia,
Drive Smart Georgia, LLC, 10 Oct. 2017,
Reed,
Leslie. “Study: Drivers Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes,
Tickets.” Study:
Drivers Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, Tickets | Nebraska
Today | University of Nebraska–Lincoln,
University of Nebraska – Lincoln, 13 Aug. 2015,
https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/unltoday/article/study-driver-s-ed-significantly-reduces-teen-crashes-tickets/.
“Road
Safety Facts.” Association
for Safe International Road Travel,
ASIRT, 2019, https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/.
“Teen
Drivers: Get the Facts.” Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 Oct. 2019,
https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html.
