Driver’s Safety

Julia Smith

Driver’s Education Essay Contest

November 3, 2020

What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving?

According to the University of Nebraska, “Young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16 percent more likely to have an accident, the study showed.” This alone highlights the importance of driver education, and the results are undeniable. As a student who has completed a driver safety course, I will say with certainty that I have gained confidence and a higher level of risk assessment skills after taking the course. I spent most of my youth collecting one ticket after another before completing the prescribed driver safety course. Since then, I have not been pulled over or in a single accident.

What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving?

The class that spoke to me addressed many statistics. In addition, we read multiple heart-wrenching stories of horrific accidents that left a lasting impression. As a teen, risk assessment skills are not well developed, but this course jump-started my path to safer driving. Like most teens, I completed a driver course in high school, but I did not learn my lesson until I took a course that highlighted the real-world problems created by irresponsible drivers.

Have you ever had an experience of being in car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly?

I drove irresponsibly for a long time. Additionally, I have been a passenger and watched as friends and family made potentially life-threatening mistakes. I have also been hit by a car when I was walking through a parking lot. The driver was a sixteen-year-old boy. I speak from the bottom of my heart when I say that driver safety courses need to be a requirement, and these courses must include the graphic results of irresponsible driving. Driving is not for everyone, and anyone that undertakes this potentially lethal activity must understand the implications of poor choices.

What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver and help others become safer on the road?

First, I will never drive impaired. Second, I will understand the minimal time saved (if any) by speeding. Third, I will always empathize with my fellow road warriors and never engage in road rage. Lastly, I will always encourage my friends and family to make healthy life choices. Life is too short to take for granted.