Safety on the Streets

I am currently what you call a novice driver, I have my permit but I don’t have my licence. All of my driving experience has been done with the supervision of a parent right next to me. Though it may be annoying sometimes to hear the constant nags of my mother telling me to slow down, or that I’m too close to the edge, I know that is her way of making sure that I am a safe driver. As shown in the graph above, people die more in motor vehicle crashes per day, than in some notable wars, for example, the War in Afghanistan, which lasted for twenty years. I’m no expert but driving is something that gets you from point A to point B in a fast but safe manner, and the whole premise of war is for people to be killing each other, yet somehow, people are dying more while driving.

Knowing this, I believe that more than ever it is important for people to take driver education in order to reduce these number of deaths. According to a study done by J & G Law, it states, “ In 2006, researchers conducted a survey of 1,770 high school students with driver’s licenses and asked them whether or not they had taken driver’s education classes. The researchers found that when a teenager lived in a state that required driver’s education before receiving a license, 84 percent of teens reported that they did take the classes. But when a teen driver lived in a state that did not require these courses, only 62 percent of survey respondents reported that they took driver’s ed.” This may be from 2006 which is almost two decades ago, I believe these same trends are still relative to today. This study shows that a lot of young drivers are not taking advantage of these driver education courses and that could be leading to unsafe driving and the high number of accidents that we see today.

Driver education can lead to safer driving practices, causing fewer deaths. The problem however is getting newer drivers to take these lessons. I believe the first step to be taken to achieve this goal is to make these courses mandatory in every state by passing it as a national law. The states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia all do not require driver education courses. Alabama is one of the highest ranks out of all the states when it comes to motor vehicle crashes and they are also a state that does not require driver education. With a law passing requiring it, It could potentially drop those numbers down. I think another step—though complicated—that could be implemented is making the process of getting driver ed classes and getting a permit easier. I know a lot of people who drive without licenses or even permits in my school simply because their parents aren’t legal citizens of the country, but they have no choice but to drive anyway.

I have never been in any serious car accident, the most being a slight front-to-rear bump that was resolved quickly. However, I do know family and friends who have been in more serious accidents due to their or other people’s irresponsibility. My friend told me got into an accident that destroyed his car so badly he had to pay for repairs. He told me that while he was driving, some driver was brake-checking this SUV, which is illegal, and the driver ended up stopping in the middle of the road. My friend couldn’t switch lanes because cars were coming and when he tried braking, they didn’t work and he rear-ended the SUV. Luckily my friend didn’t sustain any major injuries and just had slight soreness, but this goes to show the danger of an irresponsible driver.

My mom always tells me when we are driving that we are not only driving for ourselves but we are also driving for everyone else on the road. Steps that I can take to become a safer driver is to always make sure that I am watching my speed. It is sometimes tempting, especially on that open road, to hold down on that accelerator, but anything can happen, and driving at those speeds makes it harder to slow down in time. Another way that I stay safe on the road is to always give a 1-2 car area of space between the driver in front of me. This allows other drivers to easily merge in front of me and also gives me enough time to apply the brakes and stop my car.

Driver education is very important and as I continue with my driver journey, I will continue to drive not just for the safety of me but for everyone else as well.