Stay in Your Lane

Driver Education plays an important role in reducing the number of accidents or deaths caused by drivers. Taking Driver Ed helps to make the roads a safer place. The roads can be a dangerous place to navigate any time of day so it’s always important to drive safely by knowing the rules of the road and learning how to drive defensively. This is the value of a good Driver Ed program.

Driver Education is important because it can reduce the number of accidents that occur daily. Reducing the number of deaths caused by driving accidents is a huge bonus. In Driver Ed, students really study the road rules and apply them in real time scenarios so they can make good decisions for themselves which impacts other drivers, too. Driving is convenient, but it can become very unsafe if a driver is not aware of the rules of the road or dedicating their full attention to their surroundings and other drivers. Getting proper instruction from a licensed instructor who knows and teaches the road rules can be very beneficial and save lives.

In an effort to reduce the number of car accidents each year, I believe that it should be required that a driver with a permit has spent a minimum of 10-15 hours on various roads from two-lanes to highways practicing with a licensed instructor who officially logs the time. Student drivers do not all practice an equal amount of required driving time. Some may spend 4 hours driving while others may have taken 50 hours over the course of the year. When students come in to take their driving test, the DMV has no knowledge of how much time they’ve spent on the roads. They have to decide whether a driver is ready to receive a license based on the way they perform on a short drive. This does not confirm they took time to really understand the rules of the road by applying them in various driving scenarios and that the person is ready to handle a vehicle on their own.

Hearing testimonies of experienced drivers and learning the consequences of driving when you are distracted or drunk can help to make drivers more cautious. Taking your eyes off the road or driving high can alter lives in a matter of seconds. Events such as this have occurred with students at my school. Two years ago, a student with three other students in the car was speeding when the driver lost control of the car. The driver crossed over the median and hit another car which resulted in two people being killed and severely injuring the rest including himself. Our student body was shocked and devastated. While this was a sad event, I believe that it helped to create awareness of how we, as student drivers, should be driving and what decisions we should make. This was the worst-case scenario to happen but it caused our student body to become aware of how quickly a bad driving decision can make a forever life altering situation. Driver Ed is a good reminder of why driving safely is important.

As a young driver, I can make the roads safer by staying focused on the road and following the speed limit. It’s so important to always keep your eyes on the road and be aware of your surroundings. Anything can happen in a split second whether it affects you or someone else. The students from my school crash were probably distracted with each other just having a good time, but they were not focused and that cost them deeply. Not only did it completely change them and their families lives, but the other people who they hit. Unfortunately, accidents like these are not reversible and the consequences will last forever. They’ll be suffering the impacts of that crash for the rest of their lives. Driver Ed can help provide formal experience of being on the road. Driving is a great freedom but also a responsibility.

This accident and others like it show the importance of knowing what rules to follow and why they are so important. Being taught when to turn at a light, making sure your headlights are on, not getting distracted by your phone, driving the correct speed, wearing seatbelts and so many more good driving practices could prevent some of the endless dangers of the roads. Driver Education creates safer drivers and safer roads. I believe the state should consider making Driver Education a requirement to ensure safer drivers are on the roads. This would not completely eliminate the risk, but it would reduce them to a lower level. Every action you take as a driver means you must be responsible, and you should always consider possible outcomes of driving decisions. Driver Education teaches you that driving is not just about you but about others, too.