The Importance of Driver’s Education

The American roadways are extremely intricate, as they connect communities around the nation. Each road brings a unique experience to every citizen that drives it. Some of the experiences could end up being dangerous without proper training. It is extremely important for the safety of the public to discuss the importance of driver’s education and the steps that we can take to reduce driving-related deaths.

Studies show that it takes roughly 30 hours to finish driver’s education, which seems like a lot of time, but it might not be enough. Studies also show that in 2022 there were approximately 42,795 deaths from motor vehicles. Even with driver’s education the number of deaths is still significant, and I believe we can lower this number. Let’s think of driver’s education as the training wheels on a bike. If you give a kid a bike without training wheels they are most likely going to fail. Then, if you give another kid a bike with training wheels but take them away too quickly, then he may still fail. This thought makes me wonder if we can theoretically give new drivers larger training wheels, and have them use them longer. I believe that this wouldn’t eliminate the issue of driver related deaths, but could greatly improve safety.

Some examples of larger training wheels that could be implemented in driver’s education, could be longer time learning in class, better practical training, and steps on what to do in a dangerous situation on the road. First, longer training time is important because it teaches you all of the basics of driving while in a safe environment. This would greatly improve people’s driving skills without putting them directly on the road to learn. Then, there should be more implementation of hands-on learning/ training in the motor-vehicles. This teaches driver’s to not be afraid of driving and to get used to the most important aspect of drivers education. Finally, there needs to be an increased importance on what to do in times of danger. Such as iced roads, hydro planning , fishtailing, wrecks, tailgating and even distracted driving.

I have not personally been in an accident, but my mother has experienced being in an accident before. She was leaving her mom’s house to go to a school play, when she turned onto a road and while turning, she noticed that an item in the seat was falling onto the floorboard. She reached to grab it while driving and hit a curb, which inevitably flipped her car and totaled it. Luckily she wasn’t injured, but this accident could have ended up very badly. That is just one example of distracted driving. This accident along with others would not have happened if there was greater emphasis on how important it is to not be distracted while driving.. I have also seen plenty of friends text and drive, even though it is incredibly dangerous. My best friend was also in an accident due to a distracted driver, where the driver pulled out infront of him on a frontage road. I don’t believe that it is a fact that they do not care about getting hurt, but rather a matter of not understanding the potential dangers that lie ahead.

I take safety very seriously and after working on this paper, I have decided to make some commitments to be a safer driver. Firstly, I will have my phone on silent and out of my reach in the car. This encourages me to stay locked in on the road and not be tempted to get distracted by my phone while driving. I could also set a playlist of music before I start driving to help me not zone out while on the road. These two things will help me stay safe by being better attuned to my surroundings, while also keeping others safe. Secondly, I will make sure to pay attention to my speed, so that I am maintaining a safe speed and distance from the other drivers and cars around me. This alone leads to having a more defensive approach to driving, which makes you more aware of drivers near you. Finally, I will keep a calm manner while on the road, because road rage is a largely unnecessary reason to put people in danger. I am committed to the new steps to improve my driving to keep myself and others safe. I encourage you to consider these issues while driving and even create your own rules to follow to be a better, safer driver for you and everyone on the road.

I believe that the most important steps we could take to being better and safer drivers is to ensure that driver’s education takes a more indepth, specific approach to the importance of texting and driving, as through my experience, I believe it isn’t emphasized enough. By focusing more on avoiding distracted driving, including not texting and driving, we would definitely help others become safer on the road.