Taking Off the Training Wheels

I was around seven years old and camping at Carlyle Lake when I first began learning to ride my bike without training wheels. My mom had told me I should practice in the grass so it would hurt less if I fell. I pushed off the ground and began pedaling as hard as possible. I tried my best to stay balanced and focus on pedaling. I was struggling to steer when my bike took a turn down a small hill, and I started to gain speed. I had no control over where I was headed when, out of nowhere, boom. I ran right into a tree and slammed into my handlebars. While I am now excellent at riding my bike, it took a lot of time and practice to get that way. What seems so easy now was so scary when I first started. This is a feeling that lots of new drivers feel when they first start. New drivers are often nervous and unsure about what to do on the road. This is one reason why proper driver education is so important in helping to ensure driver safety.

Proper driver education can do a lot to reduce the number of driving-related deaths. In the state of Missouri, you must pass a twenty-five-question driving test to obtain your permit. This test will analyze your mastery of state driving laws and safe driving practices. Next, before a person can get their license, they must obtain forty hours of driving instruction with a minimum of ten hours of nighttime driving. While some may think that the permit and license requirements are enough to teach drivers safety and responsibility, more can be done to ensure safety on the road. Some simple steps to take would be to increase the number of required hours before you can get your license. This simple increase would allow drivers to get more practice with experienced drivers. More practice ensures that drivers feel more comfortable and confident when they get behind the wheel on their own. Another important step that should be implemented is to ensure that Driver’s Education classes are offered at the high school level. I live near St. Louis, and I only know of a few schools in the St. Louis area that offer Driver’s Ed classes. Offering these classes or making them a requirement to graduate would help ensure that new drivers further learn responsibility and safety. This class should have two different sections. One that focuses on the rules and regulations of the road and one section that allows students to get behind the wheel and practice safely. This would also hugely benefit students who don’t have a parent to teach them and encourage more people to get their licenses. Promoting driver education leads to better road awareness and fewer accidents.

There are lots of other steps that can be taken to improve driver safety and reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Driving under the influence is a large contributor to both car accidents and driving-related deaths. One step that can be taken is to further educate people about the dangers of drunk driving. Simply educating people about the dangers of driving under the influence can go a long way to prevent accidents. Another thing that can be done is to increase the punishment when someone is found driving under the influence. People need to realize how serious of a threat drunk driving is. Licenses should be suspended or taken if people are found driving while intoxicated, and there should be zero-tolerance laws for drivers who are under twenty-one. For people who have caused accidents because of driving under the influence, prison time should be implemented. For people who were found drunk driving, they should be required to talk to a professional or attend a class about the dangers of drunk driving. Education and prevention can help to reduce the amount of drunk driving-related accidents.

In conclusion, proper driver education and preventing drunk driving can reduce the number of driving-related deaths. Students should be better educated on the rules and regulations of the road so they know what to do when they are driving. Students should also be given the chance to learn to drive safely and get experience behind the wheel. If students are informed and have practice, then they will be much more comfortable and confident when they lose their training wheels. Preventing driving under the influence and enforcing punishments for those caught doing it will help to stop accidents and ensure safety on the road. Proper driver education is the key to ensuring safety on the road and reducing driver-related deaths.