Experience, Preparation, and Confidence! Ways Drivers Ed Keeps People Safe on the Road.

Experience, Preparation, and Confidence!

Ways Drivers Ed Keeps People Safe on the Road.

By Kaden Meeker

In my state of Oregon, driver’s education is not required, but for me it was mandatory.  Driving safely was an important topic as I got my license and continues to be one today. You see, I am a member of a family with multiple automobile related deaths.  I have lost 6 people in my family in 3 auto accidents in my short 18 years, including both paternal grandparents, my great grandfather on my mother’s side, and my aunt’s in-laws and brother-in-law.  My parents and I have spent a lot of time discussing various avenues of safety while driving including distractions, speeding, and road conditions just to name a few.  You see, they are trying to prevent another devastating phone call, funeral, and lots of lots of tears and heartache.  It was important for my family to send me through driver’s education to ensure I was learning from professionals, getting the right statistics, and getting experience behind the wheel with someone who had the patience and knowledge to ensure I had the best possible start in my driving adventures.  As my parent’s put it, they are not sending me out with a 10,000-pound weapon without knowing how to use it.

 

Because of my family history, I understand that it is important to go through drivers ed for many reasons.  The class can bring a lot of value to you as a new driver.  These schools have several years of experience researching, evolving with the rules and regulations, and teaching students all the necessary lessons needed to successfully pass their driving test to get their license.  Driver’s education also allows you to practice driving on the road with a clear understanding of the rules and safety measures ahead of time, rather than learning them on the go.  The curriculum is structured in a way that you learn in class rather than behind the wheel applying what you just learned.  These schools can also build your confidence behind the wheel, ensure you understand the responsibilities of being on the road, can decrease your insurance costs, and allow you to learn from a professional instead of your parents.  Your parents have probably been driving for several decades, they may not be up to speed on all the rules and regulations and may not be the best people to be teaching you, like mine who have been traumatized in life through our family car accident history.  We also know teens sometimes listen to other authority figures more than their parents.

 

I personally have not been in a car accident, but as mentioned my family has experienced many of them over the years.  There are ways we can help prevent deaths while driving.  The one big one that I think is relevant for teens is to reduce distractions while driving with the biggest distraction being their phones.  We have all been guilty of sending that quick text or looking at who just messaged you.  It’s said that if you look down for 5 seconds at 55 mph, it’s like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.  Distracted drivers are 66% more likely to be involved in a fatal accident.  Many cars now have Apple CarPlay that gives you the ability to make calls, send and receive text messages, play your music, and get directions.  It essentially allows you to run your phone from your vehicle “hands-free”.  If you don’t have Apple CarPlay, you can use dash mounts for your phone, the recommendation is to get as close to eye level as possible.  The do not disturb feature on your phone is also a good option as well.  If you need to use your phone via a hands-free device, be smart about the timing.  Avoid using it when passing a car, approaching a busy intersection, merging, or moving through a crowded street.  If you can’t safely do the needed activity on your phone while driving, pull over as even the hands-free feature can be a distraction.

 

An important step to being a safer driver on the road would be to take driver’s education. I took it, learned a lot, and would highly recommend it.  My family has seen firsthand the value that it has brought to me as a new driver, and it will continue to be a requirement for my younger sister.  Many of my friends did not take driver’s education, they didn’t think they needed it.  I think more people would if it were mandatory in Oregon or more accessible like in the high school as a program.  I mean we are teens, young, and still developing. It is smart for us to be getting a proper education about driving before putting us on the road.  Getting a group of likeminded teens to take it together may also get more individuals in the classes as I had 3 other friends in my class which made it a much more pleasurable experience than others have had.  It is a time-consuming class, but if it saves just one life, it’s worth it.  I can tell you from experience, you don’t want to live through the number of deaths my family has experienced because of car accidents.  Accidents and loss have been a big part of who my family is today, shaping our rules, driving behaviors, and the different way my family looks at life.  So please, be careful out there on the road, and if my story can change just one behavior, stop just one accident, make someone think twice and stop themselves from being distracted, then it will be well worth it.