In the Driver’s (or Passenger) Seat

Driver education is one of the most important forms of education we can offer new drivers. Learning to drive safely is the key contributor to saving thousands of lives. Ensuring that all new drivers are instructed on the laws and regulations of safe driving is a key component of driver education, which plays a major role in lowering the mortality toll. The goal of a driver’s ed course is to help students avoid getting into accidents themselves or with others. I believe that we already have numerous effective rules while people are in driver education but there is always improvement needed and that can be seen by the excruciating number of deaths.

Driver’s education is beyond important for everyone. More people should be aware of the mortality rates associated with driving. There were 39,508 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2021 in which 42,939 deaths occurred. This breaks down to 115 deaths per day which means one person dies every 13 minutes. In addition, 98% of accidents are caused by human error. Not all age groups have the same experiences with car crashes. Though statistics indicate that novice drivers are more likely than experienced drivers to be involved in crashes, they can happen to anyone at any time. A research report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety states that drivers with crash ratings between 16 and 17 years old had the highest rates of injuries and fatalities.

Distraction is the number one reason for these fatalities. This one should not be so relevant because it is so simple to prevent. Some examples of distracted driving include texting while driving, eating while driving, and changing the radio. These actions may seem insignificant and simple, but young drivers do not understand that these actions could be the difference between life and death. We can prevent this by educating the parents of young drivers because these habits are a direct result of observing a parent doing the exact things that end up killing so many people every year.

Reckless driving is another large contributing factor. Reckless driving includes racing, swerving in and out of lanes, speeding, and tailgating. There is a higher likelihood of these kinds of activities among young drivers. When a driver drives recklessly, they are unable to pay close attention to potential threats and take appropriate action. We can prevent this by increasing the criteria needed for new drivers to obtain their licenses. Simply increasing the number of hours needed on the road with an adult can do wonders. Pushing basic safety concerns like wearing a seatbelt is also crucial. Teenagers tend to dismiss the fact that seatbelts save lives and believe that not wearing one is cool. But that is definitely not cool. Another habit that leads to high mortality rates in young drivers is having other teenagers in the car while driving. Teen drivers who have teenage passengers in the car with them are more likely to drive recklessly, intoxicate themselves, and engage in other risky behaviors that frequently result in crashes, according to research.

I’ve made being a safe driver an absolute priority in my life. I try to be an exceptional influence on my friends and younger sisters as well. The last thing I would want is for my younger sisters to learn to drive recklessly due to the fact that they were observing my unacceptable driving habits. I know some of my friends have poor driving habits and I do my best to push them in the right direction. If they need to text someone, I will offer to do it for them. If they want to change the song, I will offer to do it for them. I do this both for my safety and their safety. When I was 12 years old, I remember driving with my mother and we came across a T-shaped intersection. We were turning left when another car came speeding down the road, blowing the stop sign. My mother had to violently swerve out of the way and the car barely missed us and flew into a ditch. My mother got out of the car to see if the driver was alive. The driver told her he was wanted by the police, took his shirt off, and began walking down the road, leaving his totaled car behind. As it turns out, he was severely intoxicated. This traumatic experience gave me perspective on the world I live in. The best thing I could do was be a safe driver.

All in all, being a safe and educated driver is what matters. This is the best way to decrease the number of deaths per year. I look forward to seeing improvements be made in our driver education systems!