Safety Matters

In our lives, what we’re told most of the time is that experience is the best way to learn. In some cases, this is not true. Maybe when we learned to ride a bike, our parents taught us that we should keep trying, and keep getting up and doing it again when we got hurt. Maybe going into an honors math class in school taught us to attempt to solve the problem before asking for help. Not everything can be taught simply through experience. Not when the cost could be someone’s life. Driver’s education classes are incredibly important, and gives students the information they need before they get onto the roads. As much as having our parents attempt to teach us driving skills in empty parking lots is a core memory for most, it is not enough. Not when every day, an average of 7 teen drivers die from car accidents (Gursten).

Proper drivers’ education classes can get into detail of every aspect of the car so that no one is on the roads with an unsafe car. Instructors can make sure that every student is knowledgeable with the roads and knows every road sign possible. Even greater tips that watch for speed and pedestrians that cannot just be taught by parents. Arguably, the most important part of drivers education is thoroughly showing and explaining the consequences of reckless driving and mistakes on the road. I remember from my drivers ed’ classes that the longest chapter we focused on was drunk driving. In addition to the simple message of “don’t drink and drive” we hear constantly from parents and teachers, the drivers ed’ instructor showed us videos of crashes and told his own harrowing story of a car crash from when he was a teenager, where his friend was the one driving under the influence, while his other friend died. It must have taken a lot to recount those terrible memories. However, he did it to show us what real life consequences are with driving. I think by adding the details that are horrible to hear, showing videos of accidents, and making it personal, drivers’ ed classes can significantly reduce the number of deaths from car accidents each year.

I’ve never been in a serious car accident myself, but I do have family who have. I was very young when the cousin on my siblings’ father’s side of the family died. I didn’t know him personally, so I didn’t know how to feel when I found out. That changed when I saw my sister break down into tears, my mother break down, and my brother shut himself away in his room. Josh, their cousin, died the night of the 4th of July, driving home on his motorcycle. Living in the woods, most of the roads are narrow and windy, without street lights, and there’s danger of animals crossing. But, none of those things truly caused the crash that night. It was the driver in the car, drunk after a party. That driver should have never picked up the keys. Josh should have worn his helmet. I was too young to feel the tragedy, but I had witnessed my siblings’ mourning. A couple years ago, my cousin, Christopher, was on his motorcycle with his girlfriend, Billie, when a truck crashed with them. Hearing this made my heart stop, as I believe it did my mother, sister, and even my quiet brother. The helmets saved them, along with Chris throwing his arms up to save Billie from flying forward. He still ended up with bad injuries and in the hospital for a while, but because he did what he was supposed to, we didn’t lose another family member. It was close though. Too close. Many families have their own story of loss. Too many families.

When I got my license, I was terrified. What helped me was remembering everything that was taught to me during the drivers education classes. I accepted the fact that I couldn’t control other drivers, but I could do everything in my power to keep myself safe, and anyone else who might be on the roads. Listening to my driving instructor’s story at the loss of his friends stuck with me, along with tricks on watching your speed and looking for pedestrians. The highway scared me the most when I started driving, but I had to get over my fear. Slowly, I started driving more, but never strayed from the rules I learned. Driving will never be 100% safe, but with the proper training from drivers education classes, accidents can be fewer, and so can the deaths of drivers.