The Safety of Drivers Ed

Savanna Robinson

Racine, Wisconsin

The Safety of Drivers Ed

Drivers ed has been around since the 1950’s and has been proven useful in instilling healthy driving habits in teens. Drivers Ed not only gives young people the opportunity to learn proper driving techniques but also gives them the opportunity to receive hands-on experience to better prepare them for real-world situations. Not only does drivers education give people all of the knowledge and skills they need for day to day life on the road but it also helps reduce the number of traffic violations and deaths by vehicle in America. Offering drivers ed in school is a step that can be taken to ensure that students are aware of traffic laws and can operate their vehicle as safely as possible. In my city, drivers ed is not a course offered by the school which means that anyone under the age of 18 has to pay $325 out of pocket. For families who are low income or just don’t have that extra money lying around this is not an option. As a result, most teens learn how to drive from the people they spend the most time around whether that be parents, family members or peers. This results in the new driver picking up bad driving habits such as texting and driving, fiddling with the radio or even frequently checking blindspots. In my own experience, people who have attended drivers ed have a better habit of using signals, keeping their focus completely on the road and frequently checking their blindspot whereas drivers who haven’t attended drivers ed sometimes forget to use signals and check their blindspots and oftentimes are multitasking while driving. Some may argue that bad driving habits are formed after years of driving and have nothing to do with whether or not someone has taken a drivers education course, but the earlier the bad driving habits are corrected the better. Some steps that I have taken to ensure the safety of myself and my passengers are making sure every rider has their seatbelt on before starting the car, frequently checking my fuel gauge, keeping my dashboard clean and always checking my blindspots. By adopting these techniques, you too can become a safer driver.