Drivers Education: “Drive Right, Look Twice.”

Cristiana Flores

2020 Drivers Education Essay Contest

26 November 2020

Drivers Education: “ Drive Right, Look Twice.”

Raise your hand if you do not think driving is dangerous? My professor asked the class during one of our daily lectures. To my surprise, the majority of the students raised their hands in agreement that driving a vehicle is not at all dangerous. I sit back in my seat, baffled at what I am witnessing in the classroom . . . these students really think there are no dangers when it comes to driving a moving vehicle on a bustling street? Not concerned at all at the person accelerating 80mph+ who is swerving in and out of traffic on a 5 lane free-way?

Having the ability to drive a motor-vehicle should and feel like a privilege. A vast majority of people take operating a vehicle for granted and think little to no about the wide range of split-second chances that could change their lives forever. In order to create a safe driving environment for our communities, we must provide affordable driver education to both the youth and adults, set an example of a responsible driver, and enforce the consequences of irresponsible driving,

First off, one of the key components to encourage a safe driving environment is to provide affordable driver education to the youth. Drivers education is already available to eligible students under the age of 18 years old but at times, not at an affordable price. For example, when I enrolled in my driver’s education course in total it was roughly $300. Now, coming from a low-income family and like many others $300 is money that could be used to pay bills, rent, and purchase necessities. Remarkably, I already have some funds in my savings account to be able to afford the costs of driver’s education. Unfortunately, not all students have the opportunity to purchase this critical training. For example, my older sibling during her teen years was not able to acquire driver’s ed. due to not allocating enough funds to purchase the course. If there were more opportunities for students to achieve their license before the age of 18, then the opportunity to learn the proper driving techniques would certainly decrease the number of vehicle-related injuries in our communities.

In cohesion with youth vehicle operating courses, driver’s education should be offered to adults as well. Similarly to students under the age of 18, people who do not enroll in driver’s ed. and wait until the age by law to drive do not obtain the equivalent skills as opposed to a person who was required to complete 100 plus hours driving of practice to receive their provisional license. Many argue that those who earn their driver’s license at 18 years and older can just practice operating a vehicle with a family member or friend to improve their skills. Unfortunately, not everyone is accessible to these vital resources. Thus, putting inexperienced drivers onto the road is literally an accident waiting to happen. Furthermore, the short-comings with adults not being able to access driver education courses at affordable prices put themselves and everyone operating a motor-vehicle in danger.

Thirdly, setting an example as a responsible driver to younger generations and enforcing the consequences of irresponsible driving will indeed reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Personally, I have been in life-threatening situations involving an intoxicated or lethargic motorist. For example, one evening my mother picked me up from my father’s house and began to head home- little did I realize, we were proceeding on a dirt path but my mom was driving on the wrong side of the road. I recall as a child being scared almost to death when I saw a pair of headlights approaching straight towards us in the pitch black of the night. Eventually, we made our way to a public road in the city ( in which my mom was still on the wrong side again) but by the grace of god- a police car appeared on the other side of the intersection and I remember the words echoing from their microphone “Take the turn”. Luckily, no one was injured during the incident while police detained and followed my mother to her home. In my personal opinion, driving irresponsibly with a young child in the car should have the consequences of being placed into police custody than of giving the incentive that “driving under the influence is acceptable enough to return home.” Furthermore, setting an example as a credible driver and enforcing the driving laws when necessary are small but vital steps in order to decrease deaths by a motor vehicle.

In summary, providing affordable drivers education to youth, promoting drivers education to adults, and acting as a responsible motorist will save families the stress of worrying or (god-forbid) “mourning” the death of their relative that could have been prevented if precautions and training procedures were followed. One valuable step that young adults like myself can do in order to promote a safe driving atmosphere is to address an irresponsible driver about the dangers of poor-driving habits with no hesitation. In addition, always being aware of our surroundings when operating a motor-vehicle and hopefully, if an accident is waiting to happen- there might be the possible chance that you could prevent it from occurring.