Drivers Ed’s Great, But Will You Listen To It?

Drivers Ed’s Great, But Will You Listen To It?

By Christopher Adams

Drivers ed has always been the class that makes parents say, “that’s not how driving works.”
Yet drivers ed is designed to prevent driving-related deaths, and needs to be listened to regardless.

Drivers ed prevents all kinds of avoidable accidents, but I will focus on two, starting with roundabouts. In my class, we looked at every scenario they produce. They recently started installing more of them throughout my area, and I can always safely go through one. Before, when roundabouts were scarce, the amount of accidents and close-calls was startling, but once people learned how to drive through them, namely from drivers ed, these incidents disappeared.

But speeding is a larger issue, one we spent a quarter of class on. The MVA (our DMV) created many graphic videos to stop us from speeding, which helped temporarily. But everyone soon matched the “flow of traffic,” which create high-speed, fatal collisions. Despite the MVA’s persuasiveness, high speeds scare people into speeding themselves, perpetuating the brutal cycle. Drivers ed prepares students for the dangers of the road, which helps reduce fatal collisions. But speeding instincts keep kicking in, preventing the class’s success in its most vital area.

But police just pull people over and enforce safe driving! Nope. They only pull over cars going beyond the “flow of traffic,” a limit that can be twenty-plus mph over the speed limit. To truly prevent fatalities, we must enforce actual laws. If drivers feared tickets at reckless speeds, we wouldn’t have preventable deadly high-speed crashes.

Police also need to stay hidden. I’ve often seen cars slam on the brakes when they spot police cars, since there’s a point where flow speeds are too reckless. Drops are easy ways to make fatal collisions. The US should support less marked police vehicles to catch drivers before they drop, creating a constant fear of a ticket that will enforce speed limits, making crashes safer.

I know these tactics will help since I’ve seen reckless driving firsthand. After learning how to determine reckless driving for Maryland (about three infractions in ten seconds), I decided to test it on family. One managed to quickly run a red light, change lanes in an intersection, and go twenty mph over the speed limit. Others didn’t fare much better. Unfortunately, responsible driving methods fade when people aren’t reminded of their education.

I know change starts with me, so I follow all the good habits I have learned. I signal every intention, drive at reasonable speeds, and actually stop at stop signs. My last driving instructor remarked he felt so safe with my driving that he nearly fell asleep. I lead by example, and my techniques have started to rub off on others. My signaling and complete stops have become family norms. I must accredit drivers ed, since otherwise I could’ve picked up some seriously bad habits.

Deadly speeding is still a problem, though. That must be the target inside and outside of drivers ed, and the thing we all work to fix.