The Importance of Driver’s Education

Learning how to be a safe driver is easier than it sounds; however, there are still elements that need to be heeded. The most common obstacles would include reckless drivers, debris in the road, or rough roads in general. Many who are legally allowed to drive start early without learning all the safety precautions. Although some may believe driving to be something carefree, it can be incredibly dangerous; therefore, all should be educated on the importance of driver’s education, the steps that can be taken to prevent accidents, and how others have been affected by irresponsible driving.

Driver’s education is taught in many schools in West Virginia, although it is not a mandatory class. It is extremely important for students who have recently passed their driver’s test or who are new drivers. Driver’s education teaches these teenagers what their parents have not thought of, or do not know of themselves, such as intersection laws or how to parallel park correctly. What comes with these skills is learning common sense and how to learn from simple mistakes. It seems like something everyone has, but when it comes to driving, common sense is easy to lose. Making small mistakes while driving can spur ugly consequences, but learning from those mistakes and applying them while driving helps make all the difference. Perceptiveness is an important skill to have because of the threat of other drivers. Being spatially aware decreases the risk of car accidents because one will know where they stand between other drivers and where or when to prevent accidents. All this ties into staying calm under pressure. On the interstate or while driving in high speeds, keeping calm will eliminate the risk of accidents. Car accidents on the interstate are more common than on city roads because of the high speeds. Being spatially aware and keeping calm will help stay drivers safe while they are on any road, be it in the city or on the highway.

There are multiple ways for students and adults to be involved in keeping the roads safe in their community. Urging peers to take the driver’s education class in their school can decrease the number of car accidents that occur with teens behind the wheel. It would raise awareness of how dangerous rough road conditions and speeding can be to irresponsible drivers and teach them how to navigate these problems correctly. Adults and students alike can attend board meetings to help make this class mandatory for students, which would guarantee less deaths by car accidents in their community. Raising awareness is one of the best ways to make the changes needed to ensure safety. Although parents do their best to educate their kids on safe driving, attending a driver’s education class can introduce a new perspective. This will boost their critical thinking as well, which is beneficial outside of driving. There will be more opportunities to hear others’ experiences on the road and how they learned from them. Taking new stories from class and applying them in real life will make the class more beneficial because students will be able to retain that information for longer.

In February, my older sister was in a car accident due to driving irresponsibly. It was late at night when she sped around a turn coming up a hill. Her wheels went off the road and she over corrected, causing her car to hit the guard rail and bounce back across both lanes. It hit the bank on the other side and flipped, landing on the driver’s side door. She broke her right shoulder and lacerated her liver in the process. The ambulance took her to Charleston, where she was admitted into the ICU. After she came home from the hospital, she was completely distraught and embarrassed that she scared her family, however what was more important was what she learned from her accident. Learning to slow down, collect her surroundings, and keep calm under pressure will help her for the next time she may be in a similar situation.

It is important for all young drivers to be educated on safe driving because one person who makes a mistake can change the lives of many who are on the roads around them. Not only to decrease statistics, but to keep themselves and their families safe. Becoming a safe driver is easy once all the responsibilities are learned. Although they can sometimes seem redundant, safety precautions are incredibly important. Driver’s education classes teach all these precautions and how to apply them to real life situations, making it one of the most important classes to graduate with.