Driver’s Education Saves Lives

We all know that driving is dangerous, it poses many risks on the road such as car accidents and injuries. Most states have made driver’s education a requirement in order to have a driver’s license. Guess what? Only for minors!!!! A lot of people at my school have not gone through a driver’s education course and will simply wait until the legal age of 18 to take the road test instead of going through driver’s education courses. According to studies, more than 46,000 people die in car crashes each year in the United States and about 1.3 million people die worldwide. How much of an increase in fatalities would be if no one took a driver’s education course? Most people involved in crashes are between the age of 16 and 17. Driver’s training is a course of study for high school students that teaches techniques of driving a vehicle, along with basic vehicle maintenance, safety precautions and traffic regulations. It is meant to prepare young adults with the tools needed to be successful on the road, limiting the risk of fatal accidents and injuries. Inexperienced drivers can pose a much higher risk on the road, they usually lack the necessary skills to handle dangerous situations on the road. They also may take chances on the roads that experienced drivers typically avoid which makes drivers training so important to all individuals. Driver’s education is a crucial component in reducing the number of deaths on the road as it issues new drivers with the required skills and knowledge to navigate challenges on the road.

Driver’s education is important because it can provide defensive driving instruction and different types of discussions on accidents to reduce the likelihood of car accidents. The roads would be safer for everyone. It teaches you defensive methods in order to avoid an accident and reduce the risk of damage. Driving is a complex skill that takes years to master. It has been stated that it takes about 5 years of driving experience for a person to become an average driver. It requires managing space and speed, checking blind spots and overall paying attention. There are multiple issues that may arise during driving that many individuals are not aware of. It is common to see drivers who are driving under the influence, distracted, and engaging in many more safety hazards. Driver’s education and research can help individuals be more aware of these situations and keep them safe. Distracted driving is a huge part of deaths and accidents while driving, due to the nature of technology being in our society. And with this, driving is a much more complicated issue than it previously was. Not texting on your phone while driving or making calls are just small steps that can reduce the risk of a crash.

There are many benefits to driver education. Through driver’s training, classes usually display many different videos of car crashes and statistics in order to stray people away from engaging in distracted activities while driving. They also do a series of drives during the course to ensure hands-on experience with an instructor to show what it is really like to drive a vehicle. According to statistics from many sources on the internet, young drivers who do not participate in any type of driver’s education are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident or injury. People can take steps to reduce this by getting the required knowledge, asking questions and overall being safe. The American Automobile Association found that teens and individuals who took a driver’s training class lowered the risk of getting into a crash by 4.3%. I personally have experience with being involved in a crash that makes me stress the importance of driver’s education more than others. In June of 2023, a few days after my 17th birthday, I was involved in a crash on my way home from work. I was driving on the freeway when a car slammed on their brakes in the rain because someone had cut them off. This caused me to slam on my brakes and I ended up rear ending a pickup truck. My vehicle was totaled and I all I was worried about my parents being mad. My parents were more worried about me being able to walk away from the accident without any injuries and with my life. Had I not known some of the things that I learned during driver’s education such as keeping a safe distance between cars and keeping the right speed limit especially during times of bad weather, my situation could have been a lot worse and could have potentially been fatal. I may not have avoided the crash completely, but it reduced the damage which is why driver’s education is so important to all individuals. 

Some people might argue that driver’s training is ineffective at reducing crashes or that it is not needed to learn how to drive. In some eyes, it is also too time consuming or too expensive. Someone may have a good reason to opt out of drivers training but there are many long-term benefits to driver’s education such as being better equipped to make decisions behind the wheel and adhering to traffic laws. Keeping yourself and others on the road safe is the primary focus of any driver’s education course. I also personally use techniques to keep myself and others safe such as looking up directions before going to an unknown area. I try to avoid busy intersections and I find alternate routes. These are all steps that everyone can take to reduce potential incidents while driving. 

Taking everything into account, driver’s education is beneficial to everyone as it may take time, but it limits the number of deaths and car accidents that we all can potentially be subject to. It can help improve everyone’s driving skills and give people the necessary tools to succeed on the road. There are many steps we all can take to reduce crashes and keep the roads safe. Now tell me, is driver’s training worth it? Some may say driver’s education is a time waster. Would you rather waste time or your life?