Education vs. Car Accidents

Education vs. Car Accidents

The quote “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” is one of my favorites from Nelson Mandela. I immediately thought of this when thinking about my answers, because it fits so well with the matter at hand, except in this case instead of a weapon it is a defense. 

By equipping future and present drivers with the education of what happens on the roads, we can ensure that there are less accidents in the future. Whether that be through classes educating students on the specifics of the road, such as what to do in different weather situations or the specific mechanics of what you need to know to drive a car successfully. These lessons are learnt in the initial drivers education course, but are kept in the driver’s mind beyond the class’s duration.

Keeping the idea of ideas beyond the class, it would be beneficial to have incremental refresher courses for older drivers coming to renew their licenses. Education never has a due date, and it would be beneficial to the greater public if everyone were to have short classes refreshing them on the latest laws and tactics that are being taught to our youth today. This ensures that a majority of drivers have a consistent understanding of the current standard of drivers education and can make for safer roads and experiences on the road.

As a teenager, one thing I’ve noticed is that sleepy driving is something a lot of teenagers face. I’ve seen many classmates get into car accidents on their way to school because they had their eyes closed in a blink for too long, or their half shut eyelids resulted in them not being able to be aware of their surroundings and see incoming traffic. Whether that’s because of the early start time for their classes or because they stayed up too late the previous night, many teenagers are not often 100% alert when at the wheel. This is incredibly dangerous and can be easily combated with the understanding that taking a quick power nap for 10-20 minutes at the road is much more beneficial than potentially getting into a car accident. Offering specific routes and alternatives to modern problems will educate the teenagers in understanding that sleepiness is a problem of all ages, and the method to fight this simple occurrence. Changing the way we address problems like sleepiness with our youth today can have an immense effect on the way they view things as well, which will undoubtedly lead to a decrease in car accident rates.

In these two specific examples from my own past experience, I found them both to be fulfilling Mandela’s quote, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”. By ensuring that both the drivers of present and past are constantly learning about the situation on the roads that they drive, they can take the uncertainties of their futures into their own hands by enforcing and practicing safe driving, as well as setting an example for drivers learning on what safe driving looks like from education.