The importance of driver’s education

A car may seem like just another form of transportation, but it easily has the power to cause a fatal accident. An inexperienced teen who just got their license often underestimates the destructive power of a motor vehicle. Combine that with the constant distractions of a smartphone and it becomes clear why accidents are so common among teens. To combat these issues, a number of restrictions have been placed to prevent further accidents. In the state of California, teens are required to take a thirty-hour driver safety course before even beginning the application process. Also, a minor with a driver’s license is prohibited from driving other minors outside of their family. These restrictions have proven effective and have reduced car-related deaths among teens, but more precautions are needed to ensure that the roads get even safer. To reduce reckless driving in teens, driver’s ed should be made mandatory, have its curriculum refreshed, and stricter laws should be introduced.

To reduce reckless driving in teens, driver’s ed should be made mandatory, have its curriculum refreshed, and stricter laws should be introduced. As it currently stands, thirty out of the fifty states require a driver’s safety course as a prerequisite to the application process. Statistically, these courses have proven effective to increase drivers’ safety. The most dangerous state for teenage drivers, Kentucky, does not require any driver’s education courses to get a license. With a national high of 3.47 annual teen driver deaths per 10,000 licensed teen drivers, it is clear that a lack of these courses only increases the likelihood of an accident. These courses should be made mandatory for all teenage drivers nationwide.

To reduce reckless driving in teens, driver’s ed should be made mandatory, have its curriculum refreshed, and stricter laws should be introduced. As stated earlier, drivers ed courses statistically reduce the likelihood of accidents in teenagers. However, there are clear issues with the safety courses that make them less effective. The curriculum offered in these courses is outdated and varies from state to state. More specifically, the information given in regards to smartphones and driving is limited. The course briefly touches on the topic of technology, but it merely states the obvious. With mobile phones becoming more widespread every year, a new approach to this information is needed. Solutions should be given to prevent the use of smartphones while driving instead of the lecture that it currently gives. To fix these problems with the current courses, the information needs to be refreshed and made uniform for each state. All teens applying for a driver’s license should learn the same, updated information.

To reduce reckless driving in teens, driver’s ed should be made mandatory, have its curriculum refreshed, and stricter laws should be introduced. In addition to the aforementioned changes to the driver’s ed courses, new laws should be initiated for teen’s permits that prevent texting while driving. A new zero-tolerance policy should be introduced to completely stop those habits before they develop. If a teen is caught texting while driving, and endangering other drivers, their license should be revoked. They should be required to retake a portion of the driver’s ed course and pay a fine. Although this may seem harsh, it is important to realize that a driver’s license is a privilege and not a right. Those with a license must demonstrate the responsibility to drive a motor vehicle and keep the roads safe.

The opportunity for teenagers to drive is an important part of growing up and gaining more freedom. However, the likelihood for teenagers to cause an accident cannot be ignored. If our country continues to offer the privilege of a driver’s license to teens, driver’s ed should be made mandatory, have its curriculum refreshed, and stricter laws should be introduced. If these changes are made, lives will be saved and the roads will be overall a safer place.