The Importance of Driver Education

To me and many others, being a good driver means being a safe driver. A simple definition of a safe driver would be that they never crash. However, that would indicate that as soon as a driver was in a crash, even if it is not their fault, they could no longer be considered a safe driver. Instead, a more nuanced definition of a safe driver would be that they follow all the rules of the road, are observant of other drivers and pedestrians around them, and make adjustments as the situation demands to ensure safety for all.

Driving is not an isolated activity. There are many factors involved that are not in one’s control, which is why it is so important to be vigilant and gain experience in a variety of scenarios. These factors are why driver’s education is so important. I took my driver’s education class as part of my school in my sophomore year of high school. I am very fortunate that I can say that it was an excellent experience because my teacher gave us in-depth and hands-on instruction and was patient with us the entire time. He went through many real-life situations with us, complete with diagrams and explanations for why each answer was correct or incorrect. The most helpful thing was that he took pictures of confusing locations near the school and walked us through how to navigate those areas since he knew we would be driving around there most frequently. That class made me feel at ease on the road because I knew the rules and was not panicked when I got behind the wheel. Not having anxiety while driving is especially important because anxiety can lead to rash actions and bad judgments, which can lead to deaths. If all drivers took such a class, driving-related deaths would be reduced because more drivers would follow the rules of the road and feel at ease while driving.

Practicing is crucial to becoming a safe driver and avoiding deaths on the road. It is not enough to just go through these unfamiliar situations on a screen with an instructor, although doing that is an excellent and necessary first step. Once one earns their permit, they must go out and practice with a knowledgeable adult as often as possible to build up the skills to handle any situation thrown their way. When I first got my permit, my dad and I would go out and practice driving every day, and he would take me through different routes to practice various driving skills. We started by doing things like perpendicular parking. When I could do that consistently, we branched out to driving on familiar roads in the area. When I was comfortable on familiar roads, we went on some small highways so I could practice merging, switching lanes, looking over my shoulder, and watching for exits. All this practice helped me build up my muscle memory to the point where handling the car became second nature, and I could focus entirely on my surroundings and ensure I followed the rules of the road. When people can focus more on their surroundings and not worry about handling their vehicles, roads will be safer, and fewer deaths will occur.

One aspect of driving and road safety many people overlook is knowing one’s vehicle. Learning about your vehicle is vital in avoiding problems because one can figure out issues with their vehicle and prevent them from spiraling out of control into a safety hazard. I have seen several situations like this, where my dad has prevented major complications due to his knowledge of our car. One day, while driving, he noticed the engine temperature gauge was higher than normal, so he stopped the car and let it cool for a while. When he started the car again, the gauge shot back up immediately. The high engine temperature indicated to him that there could be something wrong with the radiator since the engine wasn’t cooling down properly. He shut the engine off again, waited for some time, and carefully opened the hood. As expected, fluid was in the engine bay, and he discovered a leak in the radiator tube. Had he kept driving and not recognized this hazard, a fire could have resulted in significant casualties. Understanding basic car maintenance and identifying problems with my vehicle is another point where driver’s education helped me. Not only did my instructor teach us about various parts of the car and basic maintenance, but he also had us research assigned topics like oil changes and various vehicle fluids and create a PowerPoint presentation to share with the class to gain an even deeper knowledge of vehicle maintenance. This exercise was beneficial because when one gets knowledgeable enough about a topic to teach someone else, they truly understand it. Everyone should learn basic car maintenance and how to identify problems with their car because those skills can help prevent the causes of a catastrophe from going unnoticed until it’s too late.

To illustrate all these safe driving habits interacting at once to prevent a major road crash, I shall tell a personal story about how my dad kept our car from overturning when taking a road trip on a family holiday. We were driving on I-80 when we entered a work area and observed traffic cones forcing two lanes to converge into one lane. As my dad tried to merge into the single lane, one of the cars in that lane did not allow us room to merge in quickly enough. This person’s failure to yield resulted in our car hitting the first couple of cones and one set of wheels coming off the road. My dad held the wheel completely straight to keep control of the car because he knew if he moved it at all, it could result in the car overturning in the middle of highway traffic. Eventually, after alternating between balancing on the left wheels and right wheels, all four wheels were back on the ground. The car began to slide left, and my dad controlled it enough to safely come to rest in a grassy ditch, out of the way of other cars. His experience in defensive driving enabled him to think clearly in that scary situation and perform the most effective corrective maneuvers to ensure our safety. Additionally, he knew that the car we were inside had a low center of gravity due to its boxer engine and thus was very unlikely to overturn if he held the wheel straight. We were in a rental car when this incident occurred, and one of the reasons he chose that car was its reputation as being stable. Had he not done his research and picked any random car, many lives could have been drastically impacted that day. However, because of his experience, practice, and knowledge of the car, the worst of the accident was a small scratch on the door handle of the rental car.

The United States has an excellent driver’s education program, with at least 31 states requiring teens to take driver’s education before getting a license, according to U.S. News. The situation in the United States starkly contrasts my experience when I visited India last summer. When I asked about the haphazard driving and blatant lack of adherence to rules in India, I was told that most people learn to drive in unregulated and unauthorized ways and have little knowledge of driving techniques, defensive skills, or knowledge of equipment. The impact of this negligence manifested itself in various forms, such as terrible traffic deadlocks, unbearable honking, road rage, numerous avoidable accidents, and loss of life.

The United States is in a much better situation compared to most countries, but there is still room for improvement. In my opinion, defensive driving courses offered through organizations such as DMVedu should be mandatory to receive a license or permit. Required driver education would ensure that everybody on the road has the skills necessary to be a safer driver and be ready to react in the safest way possible for themselves, other drivers, and pedestrians.

I also think it would be a good idea to reevaluate driving skills every five to ten years for individuals over age 40 so that any potential decline in cognitive abilities related to decision-making, reaction time, and fine motor skills could be detected and corrective action applied. While I recognize that this might not be a popular suggestion, I think it would go a long way in making the road safer for everybody. The age and frequency of reevaluation should be determined after consulting experts in the field.

I was very fortunate to have an environment conducive to developing into a safe driver since both my parents are very safe drivers. During our family trips, I was continuously educated about and made to observe various scenarios on the road and safe responses to them. By the time I got behind the wheel, I was very aware that being a good and safe driver doesn’t just mean operating the vehicle correctly; It requires understanding road conditions, predicting the behavior of other drivers and pedestrians, and handling unforeseen circumstances. To become a better and safer driver, I plan to continue observing my parents when they drive and practice driving in various situations to gain the necessary experience to handle any predicament I may find myself in on the road. I can help others become better and safer drivers by encouraging them to look into safe driving courses, such as the defensive driving course I mentioned above. I would also encourage them to practice safe driving habits like not using the phone or eating or drinking while driving.

Driving can be a fun activity and a necessary life skill for most people. At the same time, it comes with a lot of responsibility. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and our community to do our best to be the safest drivers we can be and do our part in preventing injuries and deaths on the road.