Guaranteeing Educated Driver’s

    In life today cars are one of the most used ways of transportation, but also the deadliest means of travel. In 2021, 1,768 lives were lost in car accidents and that is just in Canada, compared to the car deaths in the U.S. in 2021 at 42,939.  It is apparent that driving needs more safety standards, and the number of driving deaths is a result of a casual and careless approach toward driving. Billions of us are constantly driving, it is extremely common no matter where you are, which makes driving relevant pretty much anywhere on our planet. We need to do better as humans, implementing more educational content when in drivers Z is crucial if we want to make our roads safer. Making drivers more aware of the results of handling a vehicle poorly and more aware of pedestrians will greatly reduce the number of new drivers getting into accidents.

   From personal experience I have had some moments where I’ve felt unsafe in a vehicle. One thing we need to realize is that each time a person gets behind the wheel they bear a significant responsibility not just for everyone in the car, but everyone on the roadway. Instilling empathy in our drivers will make them think more before doing something reckless or impulsive. For example, if you were about to speed through an intersection to get to your job on time, but before stomping on the accelerator you take a moment and realize the pain and suffering you could inflict upon the people around you, you would be more careful and avoid the risk. This can be implemented through meaningful speeches and videos given out by drivers and instructors during the lessons. Giving teens a meaningful presentation that is expressed in a memorable way can have a profound effect on the choices they make behind the wheel. If you can get a meaningful message about the consequences of car accidents across the minds of the youth, they will think twice before they choose to do something reckless. Having Driver’s Z create videos and give lessons that emphasize the consequences of fatal and non-fatal accidents will be very effective at increasing rational decision- making and overall safety on the roadway. When you are younger and are shown something that results in misery and sadness, it’s almost guaranteed you will never replicate whatever was done to cause that same sadness and misery. Which is why I am certain creating these videos will have such a significant effect on making the roadway safer.

  Education is done best in person and the teacher is able to gain an understanding of their students which allows them to teach in a more personable and engaging fashion. This is even more important in drivers education, not knowing a student was avoiding paying attention during the lessons and for them to go on and pass their test is very concerning. Transitioning drivers’ lessons to a classroom in person will have much more of an impact on students gaining a better understanding about the responsibility they bear when they are behind the wheel. Being in a classroom means students are in a social environment and they know that the teacher will be monitoring their activity. When a student is put in a classroom like environment they know they are expected to complete their work and stay on task or else they will face a consequence. Students can then ask the teachers specific questions or concerns they have without being heard by everyone else like on a team’s call. Not knowing some basic knowledge about driving can be the determining factor of whether a new driver gets in an accident or not. When you are in an online call there are a bunch of other students in there too who will hear and react to everything that is said. Sometimes students will hesitate to ask questions that they feel they should already know because they fear that other students will judge them for it. However, asking questions in a classroom allows us to speak directly with our teacher, making you feel comfortable and included. Being able to work with students 1 on 1 will make it easier for teachers to better prepare their students for the road test. In an environment where a teacher can identify what each student needs to work on and what they are already good at is very important in creating new safe drivers who will then continue to grow into adulthood as the considerate and cautious drivers they were taught to be.

     Increasing safety on the roadway is something that shouldn’t be done just in North America, but everywhere in the world. It is such an integral part of our lives as humans and we need to do everything we can to make it safer. We are already one step closer to returning to an in class experience as drivers Z announced they would be giving the option to students to either take it online or in person. If we want to create new drivers who are able to make smart decisions and reduce reckless driving I believe all driving classes should be held in person. Already, we have made massive progress on reducing deaths on the roadway, from 1960 to 2012 in totality 600,000 lives were saved due to smart car technologies. We have already saved so many lives and if we collaborate and work together to find solutions to safer driving we will continue to save countless lives.