Drivers Education

2020 Drivers Education Essay

Around 1.25 million people are killed in car accidents every year. That would average to about 3,287 vehicle related deaths a day. That doesn’t even cover the additional 20-50 million people that are left injured or disabled each year. I’m sure there are a plethora of reasons for car accidents, but perhaps one major reason would be lack of knowledge. When I was first learning to drive, I had so many questions. Does there have to be a sign for you to be able to turn right on red? Who has the right of way at a four-way stop? Do you have to stop completely to yield? I’ve lived with acute anxiety for most of my life and the idea of driving was petrifying. My mother thought enrolling me in a drivers ed course before I got my license would be a good idea. It turns out, she was right. The drivers ed course not only helped lower my car insurance monthly, but it also answered all my inane, anxiety-induced questions. The instructors who taught the course were friendly, informative, and patient. All important qualities when teaching serious material to teenagers. They made the learning material engaging with hands-on activities like wearing drunken goggles or trying to text and drive a golf cart at the same time. These activities broke up the monotony of a long day but also drove home the whole point of unsafe driving measures. It was impossible to text, drive a golf cart, and not hit any of the cones that lined the make-shift road.

On top of activities, they also showed us videos of real-life vehicle crashes. Perhaps they used these videos as a scare tactic but more importantly it showed us the very real consequences of unsafe driving. It was unnerving to see just how destructive car crashes could be. Our instructors also brought a little girl into the room. Her name was Emily Jean and she had been paralyzed from the waist down because a drunk driver had collided with her and her mother. Meeting her was surreal. She was nine and had already been through so much, through no fault of her own. Her life was entirely altered because of someone else’s decision. It was a wake-up call for me before I had even gotten behind the wheel of a car. I never wanted to be responsible for changing the way a child lived life. Driver education is important when talking about reducing the number of vehicle deaths because these classes put driving into perspective. Driving isn’t a right, it’s a privilege because every time we get behind the wheel, we accept the fact that we could do serious damage to another person without the proper safety protocols.

We could all take steps to reduce the number of deaths related to driving by taking driver education classes, being honest about our own driving abilities, and sharing our stories with young drivers. It only takes one text message, one minute where you take your eyes off the road, to change everything. I’ve been in my own fair share of car accidents; some were my fault and others weren’t. The accidents that were my fault still haunt me. I haven’t had a serious accident, but it is so easy to become lax on road safety when you become comfortable driving. When you drive for so long without any issues, it’s easy to develop an invincible attitude. You think that it’s okay to check your phone for two seconds, or to dig around in your purse for a stick of gum. It’s only when it’s too late, after you’ve gotten into an accident, that you realize the mistake. We are not invincible and being in a car doesn’t mean we can’t get hurt or that we can’t hurt other people. I think annual driver’s education classes should be mandatory for drivers, to keep the statistics and road safety rules planted firmly in the forefront of our minds.