The Importance of Driver Education

Olivia Berther

2020 Driving Education Essay Contest

Round 3

The Importance of Driver Education

Death, an abstract concept that many struggle to understand until they truly face it. At the beginning of my junior year of high school, my father got in a severe car accident, leaving his car totaled. I can still remember the feeling of dread that enveloped me as I waited for my mother to call me back with any details other than, “There’s been an accident, I’ll talk to you later.” No more than twenty minutes later I received three pictures of his 2013 Midnight Blue Dodge Durango, with every airbag inflated, the front part of the car barely being held together by two green ropes tying the entire front bumper to the V8 engine that protruded from the hood, and the entire left side of the vehicle smashed.

This event opened my eyes to the true danger of motor vehicles. As it turns out, the person who had been the cause of this accident, was no older than myself. As many times as videos and images of car accidents were shown in Driver’s Education, it is difficult to truly understand the importance of motor safety until something as simple as a seatbelt saves the life of a loved one. Overall, I believe that the education of all drivers is the key to reducing the number of deaths in motor vehicle accidents. By consistently reiterating the dangers of drinking and driving as well as texting and driving, newer drivers understand the importance of avoiding these life-threatening actions. It can go both ways, drivers who are novice are more likely to get into accidents but also people who are older lack the fine motor skills that kept them sharper at one point in their lives. It is evident when I go to school, drivers who are newer are more accident-prone because of their lack of experience but also the people these novice drivers get into accidents with tend to be each other and the elderly. This goes to show the importance of educating drivers of all ages and updating the information that they are educated on in order to prevent more accidents. By educating young drivers about the true dangers of the road, Drivers Ed is helping people understand not only what to do in an accident but also how to avoid one. From what to do if you crash into power lines, to the “no zone” when driving near semi-trucks, Drivers Ed has educated me on every situation imaginable. Because of this, I felt prepared for my father’s accident as well as the events to follow.

After learning how to drive, I have found that oftentimes, the people who taught me how to drive, have bad driving habits. The first thing that I noticed after getting in a car with my mother was that she stops too close to cars while waiting for traffic lights to turn green. After pointing this out to her, she tried to stop further away but soon moved closer to the car in front of her. From this event, I have come to realize that you can tell people anything about their driving, it is whether or not they are willing to learn from their mistake and apply it to future events that matter. My family members have learned a plethora of driving facts that I learned in Drivers Ed, now whether or not they decide to apply these concepts to their driving is up to them. I have come to realize that there is really only one truth when it comes to driving, you cannot control how everyone else drives, so you always have to be on your toes. This is why educating young drivers is so important, so that they can be the people that are helping to prevent accidents, not cause them.