Driver Education’s Importance and Cooperation

Driver Education’s Importance and Cooperation

Millions of people die from car accidents yearly all across the country. One major reason these accidents happen, most affecting young drivers, is drunk driving; every year, thousands of teens and young adults are killed in car crashes where they are intoxicated, despite always being shown the dangers and consequences that can come with it. It is a persistent problem, and it seems that young people just do not seem to fully comprehend how crucial it is. There are a couple of main reasons why teens continue to drink and drive: the conditions of a drunk person, and the daredevil mindset of a young adult.

The first reason is the sheer recklessness that comes from getting drunk; when a person has had a few too many alcoholic drinks, their senses can become numb, and their mental capacities are dampened. This is especially prudent in younger people, and when this occurs, it can lead to bad decisions; they might jump on a table, go outside and pick a fight, and of course, go driving recklessly. This is all too common in drinking parties and hangouts, and people do not seem to realize the dangers and consequences until they are back in their senses.

Now, that might get one thinking: if young people have been presented with these dangers, why do they still put themselves in risky situations? The other reason why young people continue to drink and drive, and perhaps the more dangerous one, is their impulsive mindset aided by peer pressure. During one’s teenage and young adult years, they get the most tendencies to go out, live new experiences, and do careless actions. Throughout this time, peer pressure is a catalyst towards increasing the number of accidents. This combination might be the most common reason that affects adolescents, since peer pressure is something a teen feels at any time. This mindset overall can lead to dangerous actions at any time, so getting these teens drunk only emphasizes the potential consequences. Now, to be fair, I cannot generalize and say that all or most adolescent drivers will behave this way. The problem is that it only takes one or two occurrences every certain period of time for this issue to attract lots of attention, and rightfully so.

A massive issue like this requires unique solutions; since the previous attempts to stop drunk drivers have failed at times, new ways to persuade people to drive sober need to be implemented. One way drunk driving can be stopped is to have sober young adults themselves advocate for this issue. Usually, it is the teachers and parents that present the dangers of drunk driving; it doesn’t seem to come from people that can relate to drinking young adults. Recruiting peers to convince others could be an effective way to convince these drunk drivers to stop in their tracks. Another solution would be to have peer pressure be eliminated. As mentioned previously, peer pressure is something that affects any young adult at any time, so working to take away those feelings and tendencies will go far beyond just stopping drunk drivers. All of this can lower the country’s suffering over this situation, and it can help to promote safe driving in general to limit the streets clean from intoxicated people.

In my life, I am fortunate enough to not have any fatal car accident experiences. However, I have been in a car with reckless drivers before, and it can get scary sometimes. These situations usually come either late at night or when we are in a hurry, in situations where people are more susceptible to unsafe driving. Due to these experiences, and knowing the fatal consequences that can come from them, I have always been prudent in my forms of driving, and I have tried to learn from other people’s ways of driving. While I am not perfect either and have made mistakes in the past, I learn from them and think of them all the time to try my best to drive safely at all times. That is one method to try to be a safer driver that I take, to always remember any mishaps and never do them again. Another method I use for better driving is to put music on, as it relaxes me and keeps me from getting tense or scared over any little occurrence on the streets. Whenever I drive with someone else, I have them let me know of any little mishap I might have performed, and I take it as constructive criticism and keep it in mind at all times. This works both ways; whenever I am the one in the passenger’s seat, I always keep my eyes on the road for anything I might need to notify my driver for. Furthermore, especially when someone I know is learning how to drive for the first time, I always tell them to make sure to stay relaxed and not to panic whenever coming across a tough situation.

These are just some ways in making sure I, as well as others, drive safely on the streets and on the road at all times. Driver education is crucial in reducing the number of deaths in this country, especially when it comes to the issue of drunk drivers. As long as we follow the right procedures, we can all work together to prevent people from becoming victims of car accidents each year.