How Drivers Education Paves the Road to Safety

Driving is an everyday part of our lives and routine. For most of us, it is such a daily occurrence that we can be quick to forget the risks we take as soon as we sit behind the wheel and start the engine. It is important that we educate ourselves for a multitude of reasons – and most importantly so that we can protect ourselves and others on the road while we drive. Receiving a driver’s education means that individuals gain knowledge and understanding of traffic laws, safety, regulations and road signs. It can also bring light to risk awareness, so that drivers may understand the potential risks and dangers while driving. There can be many dangers such as speeding, driving under the influence, distracted driving, hazards in the road, and much more. Driver’s education can help teach how to combat and properly approach these situations for safety. Additionally, it can hone in on the actual skill of the driver – such as defensive driving. All of these factors can contribute to a more well rounded driver, making it a safer environment for themselves and everyone around them, thus resulting in a lower number of deaths related to driving.

A lot of the areas in drivers ed coincides with the preventative steps and measures which can be taken to reduce this number. As mentioned earlier, one thing can be paying attention to traffic laws – following road signs, speed limits, and traffic signals. They are often overlooked and a small detail like this can end up being something fatal. Distracted driving is another thing which must be addressed; Younger generations often rely heavily on their phones while driving for road navigation, music, or even speaking to someone on the phone while driving. While something like using one’s phone for road navigation may be helpful, it is important to make sure all awareness is on the road – especially while the car is in motion. Recently, on January 1st, 2025, Colorado instated a law through the Colorado Department of Transportation that “prohibits drivers from using a mobile electronic device while driving, though hands free accessories are permitted,” (codot.gov). It is important that advocacy is taken so that there is proper enforcement of traffic laws and safety such as this to contribute to safer roads. Driving under the influence (though it has always been around) has also been something which has become too normalized in the last few years, as it seems that people want to avoid spending the money on an uber, or are altogether too prideful to admit that they are too inebriated to drive on their own. Driver’s education heavily emphasizes the potential risks and damage, which often is irreversible, that can be done because of the driver’s decision. It may be inconvenient, but taking an uber home, having a designated driver, or spending the night at a trusted individual’s house can save many lives in one night alone. Small gestures such as wearing your seatbelt is something that can make a huge difference as well – they are there for a reason!

I believe that the city’s government can also take initiative to ensure the safety of the road to lower the number of deaths as well through having safe and solid infrastructure, and road design as well. Measures can be taken such as having clear road markings, adjusting speed limits, putting up more guardrails, medians, etc. I personally have experienced being in a car crash before – and though it was not fatal, my mother and I did suffer from a permanent injury because of it. I was in second grade, and as my mother was driving me to school, our car was rear ended by a driver behind us. Because of the impact, my mom and I now have to have frequent visits to the chiropractor to keep our spine in proper alignment as it was thrown out of place because of the impact. I know of quite a few instances in which my friends, family, and people I know have gotten in car accidents that were near fatal – both situations where they were the ones driving recklessly, or they were victims of a reckless driver. It is always nerve wracking to hear that someone you care about has been injured or hospitalized due to situations like these. However, I am fortunate enough to say that I have not had to experience the loss of a loved one due to a car accident. As someone who drives when they are back home from college, I believe that there is always something that can be improved upon as a driver. Though I feel that I am quite well rounded as someone who has been driving since they were 15 years old, I can truthfully say there are some things to be worked on.

Some things that I would like to break the habit of while I am driving is avoiding being on my phone while driving – like I mentioned earlier, younger generations like mine rely heavily on navigation systems on their phone in order to get places, as do I. However, I tend to check my phone’s notifications while I am looking at the gps, or get too enveloped in something like the music I am playing while driving. I believe one other thing I can work on is adhering to the speed limit and trying not to go over by too much. In order to help others that I know become safer on the road, I can make sure to also hold them accountable when it comes to following rules of the road, driving defensively, avoiding distracted driving, and more. Overall, the education and self awareness of a driver is key to creating a safe road to drive on to individuals and others around them.