Driving School; New and Improved

Although I am fortunate to never have been in a car accident, the average 3,287 people who die from them daily are not so lucky. Despite the death rate from car accidents being similar to the death rate from COVID-19 during the summer months of 2020, these two public health issues have had drastically different responses. COVID-19 is being broadcasted on the news 24/7 with the nation’s greatest minds brainstorming solutions, while driver safety is not receiving the same level of resources and awareness.

Having only been a driver for seven months, I have seen my fair share of terrible drivers—from those who don’t use blinkers to those who drive too closely to other cars. Most simple mistakes are entirely preventable with good driver’s education. In Virginia, there is no standard approach to driver’s school. Whereas I took a one-day course, many of my peers took a two-month program called ‘Behind the Wheel’ for the same price. The program pairs students with certified driving instructors who demonstrate driving on the highways and main roads, proper signaling, and parallel parking. Learning from program instructors is preferable to being taught by parents because those students will model good driving behavior rather than potentially pick up on bad habits. Enforcing a rigorous two-month driving program for all students could increase the caliber of drivers.

Implementing a standardized and comprehensive driving program is a good start but focusing the curriculum on the biggest causes of car accidents is critical to achieving driver safety. The three main causes are distracted driving, speeding, and drunk driving. Personally, I have had the highest exposure to distracted driving. When driving, my mom is always on her phone making international calls and browsing through the Ghanaian news. Although I repeatedly tell her to turn off her phone and focus on the road, she claims that her form of distracted driving is not as worrisome as others, such as eating or changing the radio channel. Similarly, my best friend’s mom is constantly on her phone and even drives with her seatbelt off. From new drivers to people who have been on the road for decades, distracted driving, speeding, and drunk driving should be emphasized and talked about more often in driving school and beyond.

Even though I criticize my mom on her driving, I too have room for improvement. Some steps I can take are learning to more confidently merge into lanes with other cars and practicing how to drive on highways and in snow. These are my biggest problem areas because I fear that something will happen, so I shy away from doing them at all. While I work on myself, I can simultaneously help others by giving them suggestions on improvement and tips on driver safety. Knowing that lectures do not work for everyone, I can create fun ways to put the message out there. For example, this poem could be used for posters in my school, the daily announcements, and billboards: “Distracted driving, injuries, and fines / Danger, crashing, and jail time / Put your phone down, enjoy the ride / Don’t text and drive to stay alive.”

The car accident death rate will never be zero, but together, there is a lot we can do to drastically decrease it and save hundreds of thousands of lives.