More Than Just a Taxi

More Than Just a Taxi

By: Haylee Wilson

Growing up, my mother often joked that she should paint her car yellow and add a “Taxi” sign to the roof. Since both my brother and I were involved in many activities, we spent a lot of time in the car, driving from one place to the next. As I approached the age of driving myself, my mother reiterated over and over that a car is “more than just a taxi.” Driving is a very big responsibility, that should never be taken lightly.

A car is a several-thousand pound, moving object that we trust strangers to operate responsibly as we ourselves operate our own several-thousand pound, moving object within a few feet from them. We do not know what training the drivers have had, yet we trust them anyways. Considering that the number of driving deaths per year exceeds those seen in major wars, one would think that proof of training, at the same rigor as that required of soldiers, would be required.

Drivers Education is a resource that can help to reduce annual driving deaths by ensuring that drivers are operating under the same rules. For example, if a driver is unaware of the protocol when approaching a three-way stop, he or she may take their turn at the wrong time, causing an accident. This knowledge gap would not have been detected by the driver’s test, if that scenario did happen during it. Because the exam only addresses a small percentage of driving scenarios, there are many like this that could slip through the cracks. Oftentimes, people know the driving test scenarios, and only focus on learning those.

First and foremost, to improve the number of annual driving deaths, Drivers Education should be required. In addition, it should not be a one-time event. One statistic showed that “18% of licensed American drivers would fail the knowledge test for a learner’s permit if they had to retake it (qtd. in Driving Tests, 2019).” Another study showed that “nearly 40% would fail it (qtd. in Driving Tests, 2019).” It is alarming that there are many drivers on the road that likely do not know the standard rules and regulations of driving. Using the comparison of driving deaths versus those from war, this defies logic. Military units would not send soldiers into the field without proper training. And, training for them is not as a one-time event. They continually work to maintain and improve their skills and driving should be treated the same.

Personally, I have not been in an accident, to date. I completed a Drivers Education course during my first few months of driving and encourage others to do so. Until it is required, we can influence our peers to drive safely by reminding them not to text and drive, that complete strangers are trusting them with their family’s lives by demonstrating responsible driving, and that the several-thousand pound, moving object that they are operating is “more than just a taxi.”

Works Cited

Driving Tests. “2019 Driving Statistics: The Ultimate List of Driving Stats.” Driving-Tests.Org,

2019, driving-tests.org/driving-statistics/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.