The Importance of Driver Education

The Importance of Driver Education

With highway deaths being as high as they are, it is important to consider what can be done to help lower the number of lives lost on the road. While the occurrence of some accidents is inevitable, others can be prevented through awareness, education, and safe driving practices. Many people fly down the freeway at 85 miles an hour without thinking anything of it. Without encouraging people to live in excessive fear, it is important to acknowledge the seriousness and weight of operating an automobile, teach people the safest driving techniques, and speak up when it is noticed that those techniques are not being observed.

Driver education can play an important role in reducing the number of car accidents because it can help to ensure that the people who are driving on the road are aware of driving rules and that they know what they are doing. If roads are filled with people who do not know traffic laws and safe driving practices, it makes sense that there would be a higher number of fatal accidents. While accidents will inevitably happen, educating drivers can at least lower the number of accidents cause by negligence. For example, if a driver is unaware of the specific right-of-way laws, they may assume that they are alright to proceed when in fact they are not, causing them to get into an accident. If this driver had been properly educated and familiarized with traffic laws, this accident could have been avoided. Further, reminding drivers of safe practices, such as looking in the side and rearview mirrors and using a signal before changing lanes, can also help prevent unnecessary accidents.

Not only is the providence of information an important part of education, but also the reinforcement and familiarization of that information. In my personal experience, the driver’s education class at school was very fast paced and did not allow a lot of time for students to truly get comfortable with the information they were given. Sure, educators can throw random laws at students to be able to claim that they “taught the students how to drive”, but that is different from actually making sure that students remember those laws and how the rules apply to specific circumstances. Being able to regurgitate an answer for a quiz is different from knowing how laws apply to being on the road. While part of this responsibility falls on the student, it is important for teachers and administrators not to become careless in this matter.

I personally get a little uncomfortable when I am in the car with someone and they check their phones to find more music or pull up directions, especially at high speeds. Even though these tasks seem like they only take a few seconds, a lot of distance is being covered in that brief time at a high speed. Further, a few seconds can be the difference between the brakes being effective in stopping the car before hitting something, versus crashing into a danger on the road. I believe that it would be preferable for the driver to ask a friend to change the music or directions or, if the driver is alone, to pull over for a brief moment. While it may seem annoying to do so in the moment, this minor inconvenience would far outweigh the risk of a horrible car accident wherein people are injured and cars are damaged.

To be a better and safer driver on the road, I can wear a seat belt, pay attention to road signs, not allow unsafe distractions in the car, and follow the speed limit. I could also refresh my memory on some trickier concepts, such as right-of-way laws and specific rules about turning in intersections. To help others to be safer drivers, I could voice my preference that they not use their phones as they drive by offering to change the music or pull up directions for them. I can also politely notify others if I notice any traffic law violations in their driving. While this may seem uncomfortable or awkward, it could potentially prevent them from getting a ticket or having an accident, which would be helpful to them in the bigger picture.

In conclusion, driving is not something to be taken lightly. There is inherent risk in traveling on the road and the proper precautions should be taken to lower that risk as much as possible. In doing so, we are being considerate of the safety of others, our own safety, and the financial investment of all who own a car. Properly educating drivers has the potential to produce more comfortable, assured, and safe drivers which, in turn, may lower the amount of fatal car accidents and save precious lives.