The Importance of Drivers Education

Drivers education is important because it prepares students not only for their drivers tests, but for adaptive real world driving skills as well. There are various steps that can be taken to ensure the safety of drivers on the road. I have experienced being in a car accident as well as seeing irresponsible driving. I know I need to take more steps to constantly continue to improve my driving.

So why is driver education important? Driver education reduces the number of accidents and deaths on the road because they instill good driving habits in student drivers. By having a professional driver education, a student is much more prepared for driving than if they are taught from a parent. Professional driver educators hold students accountable and expose them to driving in the real world over a long period of time. This is so that they make the student feel comfortable driving on actual roads rather than learning in a parking lot or classroom setting. By providing students with this education and giving them the feeling of comfort in driving, it allows the students to truly grow as a driver and continue their growth as a driver even when they are on their own. This education also prepares the student for situations that they may not encounter driving with a parent. By being experienced in tough situations behind the wheel, the students will feel more confidence and composure in tough situations. Confidence and composure are two of the most important feelings you need when driving.

Due to the rising death rate in car accidents we must find a way to reduce the amount of deaths in cars. We can do this through various different steps. First, we need to ensure that students are required to take a drivers education course before they are permitted to take their drivers exam. This ensures that the student is fully prepared to drive on their own rather than just being lucky enough to pass the test. Next, we can make the drivers test more difficult to make sure a driver is actually prepared to drive on their own. In my personal experience, I only had to drive on a closed off course and parallel park to receive my license. I feel that instructors should take examinees on a 10-15 minute drive around the local area and then ensure they are able to parallel park. This makes sure that the student can properly drive safely in the presence of other drivers. My next and final proposal is more of a stretch but I feel that this could greatly improve driver safety. I feel that we should have to lock our phones in a spot in our car before we are able to move the car in motion. By taking our phones away from us, we allow for us to be fully focused on the road rather than on our phones. Most cars have technology that allows us to listen to music while driving without needing our phone, so the next step is taking the phone out entirely. With these three ideas, I feel that we can greatly improve the safety of our drivers.

I personally was in a car accident in the first winter that I had my license. My school (foolishly) did not call off school while the roads in my area were still covered in sheets of ice. After our two hour delay, I made it about a tenth of a mile before an oil truck, going well over the speed that should be used in icy conditions, slid into the rear end of the car. This provided me with whiplash and had me terrified of stepping behind the wheel for a while. I’ve also been in cars well exceeding the speed limit both on and off the highway. These instances cause a sense of uncertainty and fear within me. Knowing that we live such a short life to begin with, it is hard to explain why you would do anything to potentially shorten that even more.

I think that I have many ways that I can improve myself as a driver. I first think that I need to hold myself accountable in ensuring that I drive the speed limit at all times. Sometimes I start to drift off and that makes me speed over the speed limit which obviously is not a good thing. I also feel that I need to stick to my idea of locking my phone away while I am behind the wheel. Although I do not text and drive, I feel that by locking it a way will only benefit me and my driving performance. I think I can aid others in becoming better drivers by talking constructively with them to understand both myself and them better as a driver. By reflecting and understanding what I and they need to do better we can both hold each other accountable.

All in all, I feel that road safety is something that is quite important to me as a young driver. By ensuring that student drivers are properly educated we can reduce the amount of deaths in drivers. Further, by reflecting on our personal and friends driving performances we can ensure that we all take the right steps into improving our driving skills and reducing the amount of deaths and accidents on the road.