Importance of Drivers Education

Drivers education is important in reducing the number of driving related deaths as the number of deaths in driving accidents rivals that of war related death. Driving itself is kind of like a war zone. Many drivers are thinking solely about themselves, their problems, and getting to their destination quickly. This results in driving recklessly and without concern for others; For this reason, you must be on guard at all times. One of the largest factors to success on the road is to be aware of other drivers at all times. You can know the rules, and then just go through the motions of following them. But if you are not paying attention when something unexpected happens, it will be hard to quickly apply the knowledge in a time sensitive situation.

I personally took drivers education two times. After completing this important class, I started taking driving more seriously. Knowing all the rules of the road helps you to know what other drivers will generally be doing. This will allow you to quickly identify when something they are doing is abnormal.

To reduce the number of deaths, you first need to convey how important it is to take driving seriously. This can be done perhaps by showing and illustrating the consequences of bad accidents from real life examples. People tend to have a mental disconnect between their actions and the consequences. This is why young people have a reputation for thinking they are bullet proof, or that nothing bad will happen to them.

Seeing examples of car wrecks and traffic related fatalities, can help a driver stay further on guard of the rules and importance in following them. We can also important things such as completely powering off your phone while operating a vehicle to eliminate distractions.

We need to teach our students to be more defensive in their driving. Thompson Driving School taught me when you are at a stop light or stop sign, look left and right while slowly moving forward to ensure no one is coming into your lane or cross the intersection by mistake.

If students do not have proper drivers education, they may be aware of what signs mean and how to properly yield to other drivers. They may also not be aware of the risks of driving and the likelihood of being involved in a traffic related fatality.

One alternative to powering your phone off, is to utilize the do not disturb driving features on your phone. These features can automatically silence incoming calls and message as well as disable apps and other distractions while the car is in use. Distractions are a huge contributor to accidents.

Most student learn to drive by having an adult in the car simply describing the roads and terrain as they pass it. By having a professional driving instructor, you will be exposed to more scenarios, routs, situations, and a more comprehensive curriculum to ensure you know the full set of skills needed to drive safely. When parents or family members teach a young person to drive, they most likely will forget to teach about things they have learned to subconsciously tune out. Also, having a professional instructor deliver the important information helps to overcome the parent child dynamic. This dynamic is when children have a tendency to discount or disregard things and information that come from parents. Often times, simply hearing a different voice and perspective helps you remember the information better.

I have personally witnessed my grandmother driving irresponsibly. When she turns into our neighborhood she crosses over the yellow line in a blind curve every single time. I understand she is trying to smooth out the curve and driving experience, but her car goes into the oncoming traffic lane causing danger to those coming from the opposite direction. After driving for many decades, people tend to not pay as much attention to the rules and signs as they feel they know what they are doing. Many drivers could benefit from taking a refresher in drivers education and/or driving instruction every 5-10 years. We tend to pick up bad habits and short cuts the longer we drive, and we don’t even notice when our skills need to be sharpened again.

To become a safer drive, one should pay close attention to the car lane positioning at all times. Also, drivers should take care not to make shortcuts just because they think it will get them to the destination faster. Staying in your lane is very important, even if the road is very curvy. Consider powering the phone off while operating the vehicle; the call or message can wait and it is not worth causing an accident or even death. If possible avoid driving at night and during unsafe weather conditions; make sure to use your head lights when your vision is impaired. If you are a passenger, be considerate of the drive and make an effort not to distract him or her. Make sure your vehicle is maintained well. Having worn down breaks or tires can affect your ability to stop quickly when needed. Make sure young drivers are following rules of having limited number of non-family members in the car while driving. Most importantly of all, wear your seatbelt. I believe that all new drivers should take drivers education and have professional 1:1 driving instruction to have the best possible chance of success. Thank you to dmv.edu for this scholarship opportunity and raising awareness for the importance of educating young and new drivers.