A Student’s Perspective: Driver’s Education

Driving is a rite of passage that most people cannot wait to get. It is a privilege! It provides you with more freedom and flexibility to do the things you want to do. However, most people do not realize it is also one of the most important responsibilities you will have. Driving puts your life and the lives of those around you in the palm of your hands. One careless mistake can cost someone their life. That is why it is important to learn how to drive safely and responsibly.

New drivers should be required to take a driver’s education course because it could save the driver’s life and the lives of others. Driver’s education helps new drivers learn and understand the rules and laws of driving. The course teaches how to read road signs such as entering and exiting roundabouts, how to merge, and how to change lanes. Prior to taking driver’s education, I did not know what any of the signs meant except for the stop sign! I viewed the other signs as bright, colorful pictures to observe as I was riding down the road! I knew the signs probably had meaning but I never really knew what the meaning of the signs. I did not learn the meaning of the signs until I took a driver’s education course.

Not only does driver’s education teach you to read road signs, but the course also teaches and provides understanding of why rules and laws are in place. My driver’s education course was interactive, so I was able to ask questions and gain clarification on why certain things worked the way they did! For instance, when it comes to a four-way stop sign, I did not understand who was to yield and who would go first. My instructor explained drivers should always yield to the right and the vehicle with no one to their right is the person who gets to go first! Having the opportunity to ask questions and gain clarification has helped me stamp certain rules in my memory, which in turn has made me a better driver!

Requiring new drivers to take a driver’s education course also teaches the consequences of not following the rules and laws of driving. I vividly remember my instructor discussing the consequences of driving while distracted or intoxicated. My class watched a video of a young woman whose face was burned during a vehicle crash. The other driver was intoxicated and caused the accident. He was sent to prison for negligent driving. Watching this video did two things for me: it helped me understand the consequences of driving while intoxicated which could include hurting myself or others and being imprisoned. The video also made me realize the importance of me being aware of other drivers and how it is my job as a driver to keep myself and others safe.

I feel additional steps could be taken to reduce the number of deaths from vehicle accidents. All new drivers should be required to take a certified driver’s education course facilitated by an experienced driver licensed to teach the course. This will provide more credibility to the course information and streamline the information being taught. Currently, there are programs where parents can teach children to drive. However, it is my opinion that parents may not be able to provide the clarification and level of understanding of “why” rules are the way they are. In addition to that, you could have a parent who is a bad driver unintentionally teaching their child to be a bad driver!

Another suggestion to reduce deaths in young and elderly drivers would be to monitor the speed, rate of acceleration and distance between cars while driving or stopped. My mom has an app that monitors my speed while I am driving. I am always conscious of my speed because I always know, she is watching. This helps keep me accountable as a young driver when I am tempted to drive faster.

I also feel the driver’s education course should collaborate and incorporate a section with law enforcement. This section of the course should be taught by a law enforcement officer. It should focus on to respond if pulled over by a law enforcement officer. I feel in the current climate of society this could potentially also save lives. I do not think most people know their rights or what is required of them when they are stopped by law enforcement. If there was a section of the driver’s education course that focused specifically on this subject, more people would be informed, and this could decrease the anxiety of traffic stops by law enforcement potentially saving both the lives of those stopped for traffic violations and law enforcement officers.

My final suggestion would be to require new driver’s drive on the highway during the driving test. As a new and young driver, I was rarely made to drive on the highway during my course. As a matter of fact, when my mom mentioned this to the instructor, it was explained that skill was no longer a requirement for Texas. When I took my test, I was not required to drive on the highway at all! In my opinion, this puts new drivers at a disadvantage. I have been driving for a year and I am still afraid to drive on the highway if I am not in the car with one of my parents. I feel I could have decreased my anxiety and fear if I was required to practice this skill while I was in driver’s education. Requiring new driver’s drive on the highway prior to receiving their license could potentially save lives.

Although I have never been in a vehicle accident, I have ridden with friends who did not take the privilege of driving serious. Two of my dance teammates were on the way to dance practice and stopped at Dutch Bro’s, a coffee shop, to get drinks prior to practice. My friend who was driving was not paying attention. Haphazardly, another driver was turning at the same time as my friends, and he was on his cell phone. The two vehicles crashed, and my friend’s vehicle flipped over on the side. Luckily, everyone was ok, and no one was badly hurt; however, it was an eye-opening experience for both my friends and me. Driving is a huge responsibility and must be taken seriously. Limiting distractions, which is taught in drivers’ education, must be always taken seriously to ensure the safety of everyone around.

Although I consider myself a safe driver, there is always room for improvement. Steps I can take to be a more cautious driver is limiting my distractions even more. I do not use my cell phone while driving; however, I can put the cell phone away and out of sight. This would keep me from looking down if it rang or if I received a notification. I can also slow down more when making turns. I think I do pretty good with this now, but I know there is room for improvement. This is one of the skills that has been the most difficult for me being a new driver. Lastly, I can commit to being a defensive driver and not an offensive driver. Drive for the person next to you! That was the advice given by my instructor. Being aware, staying in the moment and prioritizing the safety of those around me is the goal!

I received my drivers license at 16 years old. It is one of my proudest moments. I am grateful for the driver’s education course I took because I feel it educated me on how to safely take on the responsibility of driving and it provided me the confidence needed to take on the responsibility. Drivers’ education also educated me on the consequences of not taking this responsibility seriously. It provided me a well-rounded, inclusive foundation for driving a vehicle. I hope others will consider taking a drivers education course to make the roads a safer place!