Look and Listen

Olivia Thompson

The importance of driver’s education to a young, inexperienced driver is critical. Studies have shown 16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age. Statistics show that 16-year-old drivers are more likely to have an accident within their first year of driving and 16 and 17-year-old drivers death rates increase with each additional passenger. Sixteen year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age. The incident rates have only been compounded by social media adoption and inherent dependency on mobile technology. Depending on parental guidance, some only only learn through trial and error. An instructional driver’s education curriculum can teach the fundamentals, ground up, and thereby enhance the skills needed to drive responsibly and confidently, subsequently reducing the potential for accidents and the potential for accident related deaths.

The education and the real-time driving skills obtained through a driver’s education course could help save the student’s life or that of another. All sixteen year old drivers should have a written DMV test to pass, as well as the driver’s education course, and pass a DMV practical driving around your city course. Driver’s education courses help teenagers, learn to drive under dangerous circumstances, on busy interstates/highways and with distraction. Course repetition through monthly training awareness exams, at least through an initial period and even through online assessment, could help to reinforce learning, and more importantly, the comprehension of driving basics. Perhaps the most direct impact will come from technology and geo location driven attributes;

• the ability to delay inbound/outbound cellular transmissions while a vehicle is moving

• configuration logic that will enable a parent/guardian to initiate such settings

• and behavioral change through repetitive reinforcement.

Unfortunately, some of my friends are not responsible while driving. The loud music and the impulse to text while driving is a common occurrence.. Some drive too fast and others just have little to no situational awareness.In fact, a friend of mine was driving on a busy road in Mobile listening to her loud music while texting me.

She thought she heard an ambulance coming behind her, but figured she would not be in their way since she was in the far right lane. Because she was distracted, she did not realize that the ambulance was behind her car trying to get around her. She panicked, pulled the wheel too far to the left and another car was in that lane and hit her on her drivers side and then both cars were hit by a third vehicle. My friend’s music was still blasting and her phone was still on when another ambulance arrived. My friend’s car was not driveable and her injuries required a one night stay in the hospital. The other two drivers had damage to their vehicles and injuries as well

Fortunately, no lifelong injuries and they are still here today to tell this story and for her and others to learn from it. This definitely changed my outlook on driving and I am more aware of how important it is to always keep your attention on the road.

Driving should take all of your attention and should be free from distraction that could harm you or others. Teenagers should be taught and shown the consequences of texting while driving. A separate course about distracted driving should be required before receiving your license. Videos from accident scenes or damaged vehicles should be shown in drivers education courses. Police, fire, and ambulance workers should talk to teenagers in high school about the dangers of distracted driving. The penalties should be strict for causing an accident if texting or talking on the phone while driving. Education should be the key to lowering the number of accidents/deaths caused every year by distracted drivers.