Ready to Drive?

Ready to Drive?

Written by Micah J. Peterson

It was the middle of summer. I was 16 years old and a brand-new driver. After a long day in the heat working construction, I got behind the wheel of my car underestimating how tired I was. I began driving mindlessly while I kept telling myself, Keep going… almost home…stay awake! All of a sudden, I felt my car lurch up onto a curb, and I jerked awake! Completely befuddled, I pulled my car to the near shoulder and realized what I had done. I had fallen asleep while driving, hit a curb, and destroyed my front passenger tire. I fortunately escaped with my life and learned a very valuable lesson.

Teenagers long for the day they will finally sit behind the wheel, but how do we train them for all that they could encounter on the road? Attending Driver Education programs helps young people learn how to be defensive drivers who can react to any situation put before them and therefore reduce the number of deaths related to driving. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln released a statistic that shows teen drivers in Nebraska, who have not gone through Driver Education, are 75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket. The same statistic shows that these teens are 24 percent more likely to be involved in fatal/injury involving accidents. In comparison, young drivers who study to become educated behind the wheel learn defensive driving skills that might possibly save their lives. Driver Education teaches students how to navigate vehicles safely at night, how to avoid hydroplaning in severe weather, and how to keep a safe distance from the car(s) in front of and around them. These are just a few examples of the depth of training Driver Education provides young drivers. Driver Education can potentially reduce driving related deaths as educated drivers are more likely to be defensive drivers and therefore safer drivers.

Training drivers to be defensive and prepared prevents many accidents and deaths, but there is still one problem that every young driver struggles with. This temptation is using the cell phone. Picking up a cell phone while driving is the cause of many accidents and fatalities on the road. One statistic done by Edgar Snyder and Associates shows that 1.6 million crashes a year are caused by cell phone usage while driving. This same statistic shows that 1 in every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. Sadly, it is common for young drivers to risk their own lives and the lives of others while engaging on a cell phone while driving. Deaths behind the wheel could be noticeably reduced by enforcing cell phone usage laws.

Driver Education greatly benefited me in my driving journey. I choose to stay alert while driving, stay off my cell phone, and utilize defensive driver techniques. Driver Education combined with guidance for young drivers on proper cell phone usage will help every young driver be prepared and ready to drive once sitting behind the wheel.

Works Cited

Reed,Leslie.“Study:Driver’s Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, Tickets.”UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN, 13 Aug. 2015, 2:02am, newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/13/Study:+Driver’s+ed+significantly+reduces+teen+crashes,+tickets.

Snyder,Edgar.“Texting and Driving Accident Statistics-Distracted Driving.”Edgarsnyder.com, Edgar Snyder and Associates,2002,www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cause-of-accident/cell-phone/cell-phone-statistics.html.