The Importance of Driver Education

Across the globe every year, 50 million people are injured and 1 million people die from car accidents. Among all these people, teenagers and young people represent the majority of those involved in dangerous driving or car accidents. With the influx of accidents and deaths being caused by younger drivers, driver education systems are crucial in helping reduce driver deaths. Driver education programs greatly assist in reducing vehicle collisions and death of people on the road.

Driver education programs are essential to reducing driver deaths. According to the University of Nebraska, “Young drivers who have not completed driver ed are 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16% more likely to have an accident”. Driver education programs use a combination of in class learning or road rules and responsibilities mixed with in car lessons to teach the essentials of road safety. Driver education teaches the fundamentals of driving such as road rules and proactive driving, to give drivers the information to avoid collisions and therefore death. According to reports, drivers ed “teaches teen drivers proactive driving habits that enables drivers to spot problems and avoid collisions”. This shows that teaching proactive and safe driving is a huge priority of driver education programs, therefore making them essential to young drivers. Driver education also increases driver awareness. Driver education programs help to make drivers more aware of the rules, and therefore the consequences of breaking the rules. Driver education programs also give new and inexperienced drivers behind the wheel experience with seasoned professionals who are well versed in road safety measures to help reduce deaths on the road. Many people will learn better in practical situations, and getting them out on the road with people incredibly knowledgeable in the art of proactive driving can assist in reducing the number of deaths on the road. I realized myself when I struggled with some skills early after receiving my driver’s license I was nervous and lacked confidence in my abilities. Driving with a trained driving instructor helped increase my confidence and also provided me with tricks and skills such as constantly scanning my mirrors, to help me avoid any unwanted incidents in the future. Driver education programs are an essential part of driver safety, and greatly help to reduce driver deaths and accidents.

Throughout the world, there are many things every day that cause injuries and deaths amongst drivers. In our communities and our lives, there are many steps that can be taken to reduce driver related injury and death. Drivers education programs are an essential part to reducing driver related death and injury because they help to ensure a consistent set of skills are taught to all learners. Unfortunately, many of these programs are expensive and may be financially out of reach for some. Many will not choose to take a drivers education course if they have to sacrifice other things such as trips to the movies, meals, or even rent. As drivers education courses are unaffordable for many families, the provincial government funding or subsidizing the programs would make them more accessible which, in turn, would help to reduce injuries and deaths, particularly amongst new drivers, on the road. Driver’s education is also something that could be taught in health classes in school. As gym, and therefore health classes are mandatory classes in high schools in Ontario, incorporating a modified version of the driver’s education program into the government curriculum for health class would ensure that all students attending Ontario high schools would get training and instruction in safe driving which would then increase the safety and reduce driver injuries and deaths for everyone on the road.

Seatbelts are also an essential part of reducing driver deaths. In Canada, for adults “wearing seat belts correctly can reduce the chances of death in a collision by 47% and serious injury by 52%”. Seatbelts are making a big impact to reduce driver death and injury, and the implementation of seatbelts has made an exponential difference in driver safety. Driver’s education ensures that rules around seatbelts are enforced, since the instructor will not allow the car to move if a seatbelt is not worn. The same can be said of cellphone use and distracted driving. Learning from a trained professional ensures new drivers do not pick up bad habits from parents or other family members.

I personally experienced an unsettling incident when I was a new driver driving with an experienced family member. With my G1 license, the first level of the graduated licensing system in Ontario, I was driving during the nighttime. I was driving along a road coming up to a stoplight, when the little hand started blinking, indicating that the light was about to turn red. It is also important to know that this intersection has a red light camera at it as serious accidents occurred there in the past. I was at the point where I had to make a last minute choice whether to brake and attempt to stop in time, or to speed up and drive through. The more experienced driver noticed I was hesitating, and advised me to speed up. Being an inexperienced driver, I listened to the passenger with more experience and ended up running the red light and getting a red light ticket. This was a dangerous choice that could have ended in disaster had the roads been more busy, but it taught me the valuable lesson of trusting your own judgement, because despite experience, people who have been driving longer can still make the wrong decision that have the potential to have serious consequences. My driving instructor further reinforced this when I spoke with her about it afterwards. Had I not had access to a trained driving instructor, I may have learned the bad habits of the adults in my family rather than the safest way to drive.

There are always things I/others can do to improve my driving abilities, and to increase safety on the roads. Firstly, drivers can review their driver’s handbooks every 6 months to a year. One essential part of the drivers education courses is the in class portion, and as people age, they tend to forget content taught earlier in life. As drivers education courses are essential to reducing driver deaths and injuries, being sure to review materials provided during training and update knowledge on road rules and road signage can ensure everyone is up to date and everyone on the road is able to stay safe. As well, consciously practicing the skills learned in driver’s education will make them habits. When I am older, I plan to reinforce all the good habits I learned during my driver’s ed course when teaching my children to drive. This will, naturally, be a complement to the driver education course they will be enrolled in.

Drivers education courses make a large impact in reducing driver deaths across the globe. Every single day, drivers and passengers are dying on the road because of unnecessary risks taken by drivers. Driver’s education courses are an easy and effective way to reduce these risky behaviours from developing.