The importance of drivers education

Prior to the year 2000 operating an automobile was a pretty straightforward process; however, with advances in communication and technology it has become a minefield of possible safety violations. On any given day you can observe individuals operating a vehicle and engaging in some of the following: looking on their phones, looking at the screen in their car, eating or drinking, turning and talking to back seat passengers, digging through the glove box, searching for something they dropped, and even putting on makeup and shaving.

Drivers education has proven very effective in reducing vehicular deaths, fatalities and overall accidents. The purpose of these courses are to create in the driver an awareness of the possibilities for harm and to instill in the driver reactions, both physical and mental, that become second nature. Some of the benefits of driver’s education are as follows:

• A more in depth understanding of the details of driving

• Confidence

• Greater awareness of the effects of drugs and alcohol

• A better grasp of mechanical knowledge.

• Lower cost of insurance for the minor

• Defensive driving techniques

Seemingly simple things can be taught on the individual and educational level to help reduce driving deaths;. such as, minimizing distraction in the car, regular vehicle maintenance, and especially being familiar with your route beforehand. The purpose of most driving is to get from point a to point b if you know your route beforehand you can familiarize yourself with the area leading to more confidence and this can decrease the possibility of accidents. The creation of the auditory gps system has proven extremely beneficial. Previously, directions would be read by another individual and oftentimes while they were carrying on a different conversation with someone else leading to total confusion for the driver. Vehicle maintenance is an important step to owning a vehicle and being absolutely sure no part will give out and cause an accident such as: brakes failure. turn signal not working, losing control of the steering wheel due to poor alignment.

Distractions and lack of focus are two of the primary culprits in safety violations while operating a vehicle. Personally, people have tried to make me watch videos while driving, show me images on their phone, and have in-depth conversations which led to split attention. I have observed many safety violations just in watching family members and friends driving. Some of which consist of animals in the passenger seats crawling into the drivers lap, driving with their knees, and looking up information on their phones, etc.

Some steps that can be taken to reduce fatality in vehicular accidents are as follows:

• Keep your radio low

• Avoid large numbers of people in your car

• Silence your phone and place it away from your person

• Minimize the amount of time you focus on the radio/ heat, etc

• If traveling with an animal it should be trained to stay in one area and away from the driver

• Securing loose items instead of placing them on the dash or seat

Other suggestions may be to place a Post It note on the visor as a reminder to practice minimizing distractions while driving. If possible program a message into your bluetooth that begins when it’s connected. An individual could also use a ‘buddy system’ with friends, family and fellow passengers that would mention the distraction prevention methods. Finally, mentally hold yourself accountable for any situations that occur under your control while operating a vehicle. Perhaps in the future refresher courses for experienced drivers as well as drivers education for the inexperienced will become the norm. The results of research have proven the efficacy of drivers education in the reduction of safety violations and deaths pertaining to vehicular usage.