Spread The Word

A 2015 longitudinal study by University of Nebraska–Lincoln that followed 150,000 teens drivers over eight years found that driver’s education significantly reduces crashes and traffic violations. Young drivers who haven’t completed drivers’ education are 75% more likely to get a ticket, 24% more likely to in a fatal accident and 16% to have an accident. These numbers have increased more over the last 8 years since this study was last released.

In my own experience, as a person who was able to go to drivers’ education and pass. I can fully agree with the idea that if not all, but most teens should go to drivers’ education. Drivers’ education really teaches you about the dangers of driving any vehicle and the power you have while driving one. It also shows you that even if you’re a safe driver, there are other people around you who aren’t safe drivers. This really prepared me for the road, as now that I have my license, I have experience unsafe drivers around me but with the help of driver’s education I was able to avoid being in an accident. One of my experiences with an unsafe driver has happened recently throughout this week (11/25). My experience happened on 11/25, at a supermarket. Me and my friend had just finished shopping and had put up all our items in our truck. I’m pulling out of the parking lot, following the GPS to our other destination. The GPS tells me to go on to the feeder near the supermarket. I follow the directions and get onto the feeder safely, but as I am driving near one of the highway entrance ramps, a speeding car right next me about to go onto the ramp, realizes last minute he isn’t supposed to go on it. So, in a very unsafe way, he moves into my lane right next to me and almost hits me but I see him driving next to me so I am forced to merge to the next lane over. Luckily there was no cars in the lane next to me. Me and my friend were very lucky that day as it could’ve ended much worse with it being a large accident if he was to hit me and if there was a car next to me. I am so thankful that drivers’ education taught me to be aware of my surroundings and how to be a safe driver.

Also in my own experience, I have had family members without drivers’ education, be in accidents. The family member I will be talking about is my older sister. My sister was 21-23 when this accident happened, and I was 13 or 14. My sister never had the opportunity to enroll in drivers’ education and was taught by parents. She got her license at 18 and did have lots of minor accidents leading up to this major one. It was a late Saturday night my sister and her friends had just left a party, they were all drunk including the driver. The driver was having trouble seeing far distances in front of him and my sister was in the passenger seat also struggling to see, this was due to it being very late at night and from being intoxicated. With them going at an unknown speed forward, they were unable to see that the road was a dead end. By the time they realized, it was already too late, and they crashed. They ended up hitting a tree right in front of them and all of them in the car were injured, some with worse Injuries than others. From what I know my sister got the worse of the accident, and shattered her leg and fractured her hand and wrist. She also had lots of bruises and scratches. They were lucky a following car on the road stopped and called 911. She was rushed to the hospital and was kept there for week or more. She had to have surgeries on her leg multiple times. She ended up having to have a metal rod inserted in her leg for her to still have use in it and was bedridden for months. Not only she was affected by this accident, but my whole family was also. They were worried for her life and were assuming the worse. I was still young at the time, so I was kept away from most of those things going on, but I remember when I first was able to see her. She was in her bed with tubes around her, bandages, cuts, bruises, casts etc. I was so terrified, that I cried on the spot for her and was scared to hug her. Me and my family prayed for her after I was let into the room. She luckily was able to overcome all her injuries and is doing well now.

In conclusion, drivers’ education isn’t just important for your life but the people around you, even strangers, Without the help of driver’s education I could’ve ended up like my sister. Also, maybe my sister could’ve avoided this accident if she was able to take drivers education. I will strongly advocated for all teens who are able to take drivers education to take it and to the people who have taken drivers education, inform the people around you to do the same,