The Importance of Driver Education

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths from driving is for starters, to begin from a young age. I will always feel as though information is a very powerful tool, and you can never know too much. It doesn’t hurt to gain more knowledge on the matter whether you can or can’t get behind the wheel. The same way you are taught to cook and other necessary skills to get you through life, and individual should learn the basics of driving, the road signs, and the rules of the road long before they start on the road. Teaching them from young and training their brains to already become familiarized on driving with the “Do’s” & “Don’ts” from someone they trust plays a major role in how likely they are to actually obey the laws of driving and listen to what they’ve been taught. It should also be a course taught in schools everywhere starting from intermediate school or high school. The knowledge of driving and how to keep yourself safe and do it the proper way should come to them hand-in-hand like it’s second nature by the time they’re ready to get behind the wheel. As they get older and older, the topic they’re learning about driving goes more into depth and matures as they do. It will go from learning what certain signs are and what to do at all of them, how they’re pronounced and what they look like to how driving under the influence can endanger them and anybody in their vicinity and lead to devastating tragedies.

More steps that can be taken is if there was an innovation where one can put any distractions tucked away in their car conveniently. There should never be any sort of technology or distracting object in the hands of the individual that’s driving. Everyone has been told this yet too many people still normalize texting and driving. All it takes it one message and in one split second you and the trajectory of everyone’s life can change in that instant. People are too confident in their driving skills, that they forget it’s not just their driving skills being counted on, it’s everyone’s around them and certain circumstances cannot be determined in just a matter of seconds. We mirror and trust those around us, so when everyone else in the car is not worried about the individual texting and driving, nobody else feels as they have to worry because they’re under the false notion that it’s impossible for a single thing to go wrong and nothing their friend is doing could be that dangerous. Especially not if everyone else around them is comfortable. Be the one to start speaking up to your friends and family today. I know many people are worried about how their friends and family might look at them or treat them if they pushed the rules of the road like not speeding, wearing a seatbelt and no texting. These are just a few of the “Do’s” & “Don’t” of the road as we break into the surface.

We all know as your children, nieces or nephews get older they begin to grow curious about things like alcohol, drugs, partying and doing dangerous things like speed races. Instead of shielding them from those things, teach them why rules like that are implemented and how they keep them safe. Develop and build trust with your child so that there’s an intimate connection where they feel they can trust you and are comfortable enough to tell you things—even if they got in trouble or believed they would. Let them know that if there was ever an emergency or any danger, they were in they could call you in a heartbeat no matter what. This way, in a case where one is ever underage drinking, they will be more prone to call home whether to check in, for a ride, or call for help. Once your children are comfortable with you, they’re less sneaky, more truthful and more likely to come to you in matters that they need to whether good or bad. A lot of children fear their parents and punishment, so they do anything to avoid them intervening in a situation even if it’s for their own good. You can educate them on the effects alcohol and other substances have on their body and why they shouldn’t partake of it. How just because it feels like you can drive doesn’t mean that you should, and people could pass away at your hands.

There are many instances in which someone I knew had driven recklessly and it’s always left me weary. One of my earliest memories of when I was younger was of my uncle. Standing in front of the tv, shocked. He fainted on my sister. She was very young at the time, and she cried. It’s a core childhood memory for her as well. His friends on the news with a label of a fatal car crash. His best friend had passed away, and another one paralyzed for life. The girl that they were with wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, and she crashed through the windshield and out of the car. My uncle would’ve been in that car. He begged and pleaded with my grandmother to let him go with his friends, he was the only one who wasn’t allowed to and she refused. Good thing she was stubborn, strict, and stuck to her gut. It’s times like these where trusting yourself is important. Sometimes you don’t know any better, but other’s around you may feel like they do and it’s better to be safe than sorry. My uncle never disobeyed the rules of the road again. He made car safety his top priority after that day and did not hold back when it came to anyone around him as well. He enforced his rules upon anyone in his car, or anyone who’s car he was in. I tell my friends this story every time I go into depth about why I do not take lightly to speeding, and don’t like when it’s done. A story could hit too close to home.

I’ve gotten into three accidents with my aunt, and one with my mother. Some my aunt at fault and other times perpetrators on the road. Each time no matter whose fault it was, it was stressful and terrifying for both parties. Memories like this at a young age can stick with you forever. As sad as it sounds, it could also lead you to create better habits and safety regulations you follow to prevent something like that from ever happening in your life again. To become a better driver, I will always use those around me representing safe and healthy ways of living to be my guide and learn from the mistakes of other’s around me. You only learn from mistakes by learning from others, or by experiencing them for yourself. And most times in really unfortunate circumstances we don’t want to experience them for ourselves or take chances with our safety as well as the wellbeing of our friends and family. More driver’s safety courses should be implemented free of charge so that everyone could have an opportunity to learn and keep those around us safe. There are so many things we could do to regulate driving better like stimulation testing and centers for young individuals to learn more before hitting the road. Make those more compassionate and aware of one another so there is more consideration behind the wheel.