The Importance of Driver Education

You always think it won’t happen to you. You won’t be in a car accident because you’re a

good driver. Unfortunately, being a good driver doesn’t guarantee that you won’t be involved in

a car accident. You could be the best driver, but the actions of other drivers could affect what

happens to you on the road.

Driver education is so important because it provides us with the foundation of what it

takes to be a good driver and what type of situations we might expect. There is a statistic I read

that said that young drivers who do not attend driver’s education classes are seventy-five

percent more likely to get a ticket and twenty-five percent more likely to be involved in a car

accident. This statistic alone should encourage people to take driving classes if they have not.

Driving classes are a great way for drivers to learn things we never thought we would

need to know. These lessons can teach us how to get out of bad situations, to know the signals

of drunk driving, and help prepare us in case something goes wrong. Driving classes provide us

the opportunity to better ourselves as a driver and make sure we are as prepared as we can be.

Finally, these classes provide us the tools needed to avoid situations that could make a

difference between life and death.

I was the young, over-confident driver who thought I would never be involved in an

accident. I am attentive and alert. I don’t use my phone while driving. I don’t listen to music too

loud. This past summer a friend and I decided to go on a senior trip to South Carolina. We both

live in Ohio, so the drive from Ohio to South Carolina is just about twelve hours long. My parents both had their reservations, but my persistence wore them down and I convinced them to allow me to take the trip. I repeatedly reassured them with words like: “we will be fine”, “it’s not like we are going to get in an accident or anything”, “we are both good drivers” and “we will be okay”. Despite my best intentions, about 10 hours into our drive, we were involved in a car accident. I was the one driving when it happened. We were in traffic on the highway and everything was going fine until the car in front of me proceeded to slam on the brakes. I slammed on the brakes as quickly as possible, but heard my brakes screech and crunch. I immediately felt my body tense up. Luckily, we only ended up tapping the car in front of us. For a brief moment, we thought the damage was very minimal and believed full-heartedly that everyone was okay until a car behind us slammed into my car. At this point, we were very concerned because of the force by which we were struck. We then feared that someone could now be injured. I immediately broke down in tears. I began to panic. I was so scared. When we got out of the car, we could see that the back tires were lifted from the ground as a result of the car hitting us from behind. Thankfully, everyone that was involved in the accident was okay and no injuries had occurred. We truly were blessed as the outcome from this accident could have been so much worse. My friend and I both learned many valuable lessons from our experience.

There are many things that can go wrong when driving. You can never be one hundred

percent certain that you won’t be involved in a car accident. I never thought it would happen to

me. I truly believed that as long as I was attentive and did everything right, I would be able to

avoid such situations. As I learned (the hard way), it isn’t always the case. Things can change

instantly. You must always be alert and aware of the drivers around you. Unfortunately, you

cannot control everything around you. However, giving yourself plenty of space from the person

in front of you and paying close attention can be the difference between life and death.

Driving school provides us with the basics of becoming a good driver. These important

lessons provide practical, safe driving techniques to help new drivers make logical decisions

when faced with various driving situations. These classes educate drivers on how to keep

themselves and others safe when they’re on the road. The best step to take is to educate

yourself and prepare for the worst. You should always think safety first, remember to buckle up,

stay focused, pull over if you begin to feel tired, and much more.