Drivers ed and its direct correlation with mortality rates

Alvaro
T. Hinojosa III

Driver
Education Initiative Award

Scholarship
Opportunity

02
May 2020

“Driver
education and its direct correlation with mortality rates”

An
educated driver is a safe driver. Education in the sense of one’s
ability to properly follow the rules of the road and not necessarily
book smarts. A person can be very well educated but yet, still a
terrible driver. This is most evident with the shocking statistic
found in 2019 that each year, 1,519 college students between the ages
of 18 and 24 die from motor-vehicle crashes. (“Consequences.”)
Whether, not knowing how to safely drive in inclement weather or how
to adjust the distance one keeps from the vehicle ahead of them,
these are just some of the all-important details that one most know
to safely drive on the open road. So many accidents and deaths can be
prevented by abiding by a few simple steps.

Obey
the traffic laws, be predictable, avoid distractions, drive rested,
and steer clear of alcohol and drugs. This is a mantra that every
driver on the road should know by heart. It is an all too common
place to watch the news in the morning and listen to a story about an
accident that happened overnight. Nine times out of ten it’s an
accident that could have been avoided. Traffic laws, such as the
speed limit, are in place to provide a uniformed and predictable
environment. However, with distractions such as a tired driver or one
that is being influenced by alcohol and/or drugs, the environment
becomes very dangerous and a recipe for disaster. Educating the
public is the key.

It
must become common place to constantly be reminded on the rules of
the road. Whether through commercials on the television or ads on
websites, there must be a viral attempt to instill safety while
driving. This strategy has shown promise in the past, especially with
nicotine use. “thetruth.com”, was a viral campaign that had
several ads and public demonstrations to educate on the risks of
smoking and had much success with the youth. Cross-sectional studies
on the effectiveness of the “truth” campaign provided
convincing evidence that the campaign “had a significant impact
on tobacco industry-related attitudes, beliefs, and other behavioral
precursors, as well as a significant impact on youth smoking
prevalence in the United States. (“Truth (Anti-Tobacco Campaign).”)

I
personally have seen many of my friends drive very irresponsibly,
whether speeding or driving while on their phone. In my opinion, a
great strategy for improving driver safety within my community, is
through leading by example. We are in a copy cat society and through
setting a good example of maintaining the speed limit and always
abiding by the traffic laws, other drivers, especially family and
friends, will pick up on this example and might be inclined to follow
suit.

Works
Cited

“Consequences.”
Consequences of College Drinking,
www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/statistics/consequences.aspx.

“Truth
(Anti-Tobacco Campaign).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Jan.
2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_(anti-tobacco_campaign).

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