Knowledge Behind the Wheel

Knowledge Behind the Wheel

Kaitlyn Leshak

As a teenager, I have seen my two best friends involved in car accidents. Last year, my friend Katie did not know what to do when she encountered a three-way stop sign, and a large car slammed into her back passenger-side door. If the time of impact had been just seconds earlier, I would have lost my best friend. It is horrifying to receive a call from someone that you love while he or she is in tears, recounting a moment in which he or she could have died. Irresponsible driving is a prevalent issue in the world today, and it is important that drivers ed is improved upon in order to avoid unnecessary deaths due to accidents caused by ill-prepared drivers.

In order to better educate new drivers, driving schools should require online, classroom-like lessons in addition to road lessons. The driver’s permit test should also be more extensive and more difficult. Drivers need to learn how to deal with every situation on the road in order to be fully prepared to drive, and the fifteen-question test that I took in order to earn my permit was inadequate. Instead of asking questions about the fines for drunk driving, students should be learning about how to deal with a situation in which they encounter a drunk driver. In addition, drivers with a permit should be required to officially log their driving hours, as I know a great many teenagers who lied about practicing driving. Just like any other activity, safe driving comes with practice. In order to reduce the number of driving-related deaths, a change needs to be made in the process of obtaining a driver’s license.

Personally, I have been a timid driver from the moment I got my permit. I am often nervous when driving, not because I feel unprepared to drive, but because I fear the drivers around me. I worry that irresponsible drivers will be distracted by their cell phone or alcohol. I studied the driver’s handbook, but I still had a fear of the road when I got my license. It is a fear of mine that myself or my loved ones will be hurt due to a distracted driver, so I feel very strongly about drivers ed. The driving school that I attended was a great way to prepare for the responsibilities of driving, but I have been in many situations I was not prepared for while driving. For example, what do I do if I can’t see through the fog? How do I change lanes in heavy traffic? In order to become a safer driver, I drive with my parents in challenging situations so that I know how to deal with these instances in the future. I think that this is a great way for young drivers to make the roads safer. Overall, new drivers need to learn more about situational driving before being given the responsibilities of sitting behind the wheel.