The Importance of Drivers Ed

The Importance of Drivers ed

By: Lindsay Gordon

Drivers ed is crucial for the reduction of driving-related accidents and deaths. Many young teens are put on the road way before they feel ready or comfortable to drive, and many young teens do not study the rules of driving. In today’s world, there are apps that show the exact questions that are on the permit exam, the test required to drive. In my personal experience, I have witnessed many friends of mine who skipped the book completely and used the app. While the app is good practice for a nervous kid taking the permit exam, skipping the book results in new drivers showing no real knowledge about drivers ed.

Another factor for poor driving is many teens are not quite ready. I have a very supportive family, so I was able to wait two years until I felt ready to take my permit exam, but I have heard countless stories of parents forcing their children to drive. Many of these young teens are not comfortable with driving, which causes anxiety. A kid teen who is not ready and inexperienced with no real knowledge about drivers ed is not taking the right steps to be safe on the road. Teendriverssource.org states that most accidents are from teens, and is caused by little driving practice and inexperience stating, “The majority of newly licensed teen drivers exit the learner’s permit period with significant skill deficits, leading to a much higher risk of crashing compared with more experienced drivers.”

A step everyone needs to take to prevent accidents and deaths relating to driving is to take driving more seriously. Driving is a privilege. When you want to become good at something, you need to practice, the same goes for driving, especially teen drivers. Parents or experienced drivers need to take new drivers out to practice safe driving. Experienced drivers can give crucial advice that could prevent an accident. Another step in the right direction is to let a teen driver decide when they want to drive. If they do not feel comfortable driving at sixteen years old, do not force them. When the person is ready to drive, make sure they read the book. In my house, I had to read the book, or I wasn’t allowed to take my permit exam. The book provides crucial information for new drivers, and opens their eyes and educates them about safe driving. The permit practice exam should be used for practice after the book is read, not to memorize the answers to take a test. Driving is not easy. Driving takes time, practice, but most importantly education. If everyone educated themselves about the rules and safety of driving and practiced, the number of driver accidents and deaths would decrease.