Why is Driver’s Education so Important?

When my car ran over the cones during the parking portion of my driver’s test, I thought I was done for. My parents were insistent that I needed a license as I got older, and I didn’t want to disappoint them by failing to drive safely. I was afraid I’d get into an accident on the road due to being forgetful or distracted. In the heat of the moment, what if I forgot some important rule designed to keep me safe on the road? What if I froze up when I came to an intersection because I couldn’t recall what to do? I didn’t want to end up as another cautionary tale told to new drivers to scare them into driving safely!

When I first got behind the wheel, I had no idea how to properly make a turn or do a lane change. I was easily daunted by the idea of driving above 25 miles per hour on the highway. Driver’s ed was the thing to change that. The more I practiced and learned what to do and look for, the more confident I became. Having a new understanding of driving made me calmer and more rational on the road. Even though I felt overwhelmed with how much I needed to memorize, all of it was useful in keeping me safe—like the meaning of a train crossing sign, how to change gears in a car, and what weather conditions were the most dangerous for cars. My classmates and I had never heard of this stuff before, but what we learned was crucial. This led me to being more confident in my skills, cautious but willing to take the lead as needed.

Despite my newfound confidence, I’d often have reason to feel anxious when in the car. One of my relatives, who was my chauffeur for school, wasn’t as focused on driving safely as he should have been. He tended to weave around on the road, drive over curbs, and break the speed limit. Although nothing serious ever happened, my anxiety is still vivid enough that I feel even the most seasoned drivers could benefit greatly from a refresher course in driver’s education. Without an instructor or a parent sitting next to you in the passenger seat reminding you what to do, it can be easy to shrug off rules of the road for the sake of speed and convenience. But speed is never worth sacrificing your life for.

This is also why driver’s education is so important for teens. So many fatal accidents could have been prevented if students had been properly educated regarding driving safely. 11.1% of students who had taken driver’s ed were in accidents compared to the 12.9% who weren’t enrolled. Comparatively, only 2.1% of driver’s ed alumni were in accidents that resulted in death or serious injury as opposed to a higher statistical average of 2.6% for non-alumni. As for tickets, only 10.4% of driver’s ed students received them compared to the 18.3% of uneducated drivers. Since the students are prepared to drive on the road in a variety of weather and traffic conditions, they are less likely to get into accidents than other drivers. In fact, accidents are reduced by 4.3%! Many teens rely on their cars in order to get to their jobs, visit family and friends, and feel a sense of independence. Despite many believing that they drive safely, without a driver’s education it is impossible to do so. A well-meaning driver of any age might make the choice to glance down at a text, stare at the surrounding landscape, or run a red light to be on time—only to lose their life in a tragic accident. No one deserves to die from a mistake that could have been easily prevented if only known how.

Driver’s education, in my opinion, is the best way to reduce road accidents. The best courses educate drivers on a variety of useful skills required for being a safe driver. The instructors give on-the-road training which improves student reaction time and understanding of the road. Minute details that are crucial to driving, such as turning “right on red”, reduce misunderstanding. Driver’s ed is the tried-and-true method of preparing for a lifetime of driving. To continue driving safely, one should take precautions against unforeseen accidents by always checking mirrors and the blind spot. Model an example of a good driver: don’t drink, eat or look at your phone or text while driving, use your horn only when necessary, and drive following laws and speed limits. If there are aspects of driving you struggle with, then take time to practice them safely and get help from others more experienced than you! And perhaps, most importantly, believe in yourself!

Bibliography:

“Study: Driver’s ed significantly reduces teen crashes, tickets | News Releases | University of Nebraska-Lincoln.” News, https://newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/13/Study:+Driver%27s+ed+significantly+reduces+teen+crashes,+tickets. Accessed 14 March 2022.

“Is driver education contributing towards road safety? a systematic review of systematic reviews.” NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8142340/. Accessed 14 March 2022.