Stay Alive: Educate before you Drive

Stay Alive: Educate before you Drive

When I was in fourth grade, my friend’s mom told us the story of how she was in a car accident as a teenager. She and her friends were driving late at night, without seatbelts, and had been drinking. They crashed into another car, and two of the passengers died. She was not the driver, but still expressed guilt and remorse when recalling this tragedy. This story first made me promise myself to always use every safety measure when driving, and second made me realize that drivers are not the only ones who should be responsible for ensuring car safety.

First and foremost, driver education is extremely important in decreasing the number of deaths caused by driving. Only those who know the rules of the road should be driving on it. Providing inadequate driving instruction and expecting no consequences is like watching Grey’s Anatomy and expecting to be able to perform open heart surgery. Every driver should be required to undergo a comprehensive driver education course. This course should include road signs, car maintenance, rules of the road, emergency procedures, and the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Everyone who drives a car should know how to change a tire or check their oil, but many drivers do not. Those who do not know how to care for their car or handle an emergency while driving are much more likely to die in a driving related incident. 

When teaching potential drivers the cold hard facts about driving, instructors should try to take the cold part out. Statistics are important in explaining why certain laws or rules are in place, but they need to be put into context. You can tell a group of people that 34,000 people die from driving related injuries each year in the US, but they are not likely to gauge what that really means. However, when you say in a 2 year period more Americans will die because of driving than died in the Vietnam War, that number is given more meaning. When people are bombarded with numbers they are likely to lose interest in the topic. Teenagers especially are not going to feel the impact of these types of statistics unless they are put into perspective. Therefore, instructors should think of compelling ways to situate these facts into a context that is easier to understand.

Additionally, instructors should explain the reasoning behind different rules. Drivers will be more likely to follow rules if they understand why they were implemented. For example, when I first learned about a section of Joshua’s Law in my driver education course, I thought it was ridiculous. One part of the law states that drivers aged 16-18 may only drive family members for the first six months after they obtain their license, may drive one peer in the second six months, and may drive 3 peers after one year. I did not understand why I would not be able to drive with my friends in the car after I got my license. Then I learned about Joshua. Joshua was a 17 year old who died after his car hydroplaned and crashed into a tree. After this tragedy, Joshua’s parents started a mission to keep teen drivers safe. Joshua’s Law helped implement better driver education for teens and more requirements to obtain a license in order to decrease the number of teens who died in accidents. Before I learned the backstory of Joshua’s Law, I did not want to follow it. However, now that I know the reasoning behind the law, I do follow it. This new approach to driver education could be very significant.  

Another way to reduce driving fatalities is to teach passengers to take responsibility for car safety. The driver’s number one priority is paying attention to the road. If they are not making this their priority, the passenger should step up and say something. For example, they can politely ask the driver to wait to check their phone until they have arrived at the destination or offer to input the directions instead of the driver. Passengers can also ensure that other passengers are not too distracting. If people in the backseat are too loud or are moving about the car, another passenger should ask them to quiet down, sit down, and put their seatbelts on. Everyone inside the vehicle can do something to make the car ride a little safer. 

Lastly, after taking their comprehensive driver education course, drivers should submit a statement asserting what they will do differently when driving as a result of what they learned in the course. For example, I would have written a statement about how because of Joshua’s Law, I did not drive with a friend in the car until I had held my license for 6 months. This statement will make prospective drivers reflect on what they have learned and think about how they are going to apply it. Additionally, when you write something down you are more likely to actually do it.

In conclusion, comprehensive driving education is very important in reducing driving related fatalities. Prospective drivers should not only learn about road signs, they should learn about how to take care of their car and what to do in emergencies. They need to learn the “why” of the laws they are supposed to follow. People do not like to blindly follow rules, so the “why” will help convince them to. After they finish the course, these drivers should reflect on what they have learned and write down what they are going to do differently as a result of the course. In addition, passengers should be told that they also have a role in car safety. They can keep the driver and other passengers in check to ensure that everyone arrives at their destination safely.