An Educated Driver is a Safe Driver

Driving a vehicle can be extremely dangerous, and even deadly. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that Americans spend an average of 293 hours behind the wheel annually. USA Today estimates that there are roughly 210 million licensed drivers in the United States. Our country is a massive network of roads, loaded with vehicles that have the potential, if not driven safely, to kill. All these vehicles are sharing the same roads and interacting with each other. Without a common understanding of the rules and procedures that dictate how we will drive, there would be chaos. That is why driver education is so important. It is critical to ensuring that new drivers can operate their vehicles safely in all situations and conditions.

The most important thing driver education classes teach is respect for the power of your vehicle. It is important for all drivers, and especially for new drivers, to understand that a vehicle can be a deadly weapon. Most vehicles weigh more than 2,000 lbs and can travel up to 100 miles per hour. We regularly drive more than 60 miles per hour on the highways of our country, and that is if we are obeying the speed limit. A good driver education program should be a little bit scary and cause a student to respect the responsibility they will be accepting when they get behind the wheel. A driver that fears and respects the deadly potential of a vehicle is a careful driver, and a careful driver is a safe driver.

Driver education classes also teach students how to operate a vehicle and about its capabilities and limitations. Driving a car for the first time is difficult. Learning how to handle a vehicle takes a lot of practice. It takes time to get a proper feel for how the car will accelerate when you step on the gas pedal, how hard you must step on the break to come to a smooth stop, or how to turn the wheel into and out of turns. Driver education classes force a new driver to practice these skills in the presence of an experienced driver. They also teach drivers about things like driving in bad weather, speed versus perception/reaction, stopping distance. Understanding and getting a hands-on feel for these things is crucial to being a safe driver.

Lastly, driver education classes teach students about the rules and procedures of the road. With so many drivers using the same roads, acting independently from each other, and operating their vehicles with varying levels of caution and skill, we need to have some framework of how it will all work. Driver education classes are where students learn that framework. They learn about what the different signs mean, what the laws are, and how to execute certain maneuvers like parallel parking or passing another car on the highway. The rules and signs of the road are like a dance that allows all the moving parts to work together in a coherent and functional way. Without this framework, our roads would be dangerous and chaotic. Driver education classes tie all the components of safe driving together and make our roads as safe as they can be.

As a relatively new driver, I can think of several steps that could help to reduce fatalities on the road. Driver education classes should be mandatory for new drivers, and it would be helpful if there were classes available for more experienced drivers to brush up on their skills and knowledge. Continuing educational opportunities could do a lot to increase awareness of safe driving practices. A nationwide maximum speed limit of 60 miles per hour would be very unpopular, but I think it would directly reduce the number of deaths on our highways. Lastly, we could change laws to increase the penalties for violating traffic laws. This would act as a deterrent to reckless behavior and hopefully reduce the most dangerous behaviors like speeding or drunk driving.

I have been driving for less than three years but I have already been hit twice by other cars. The first incident happened during an ice storm. The person that hit me was driving too fast for the road conditions, which were quite treacherous, and they rear-ended me. The second time I was in our school parking lot and another student was not paying attention and they smashed their car into mine, crushing in the passenger side door. Thankfully both incidents were minor, but they could have easily been prevented if the drivers were following the simple tactics we are taught in driver education classes. These accidents were inconvenient and expensive, but they were valuable for me as a new driver, because they scared me and helped solidify my respect for the dangers and responsibilities of driving.

At this point in my life, I think the most important thing that I can do to be a better and safer driver is to slow down and always remain focused. I understand how easy it is to become distracted while driving. Things like my phone, friends in the car, or a good song on the radio try to pull my attention away from what I am doing. I need to remember that if I allow myself to be distracted and take my eyes off the road, even if only for a second, it can be disastrous. I drive the speed limit, always wear my seatbelt, and I won’t put the car in drive until all my passengers are buckled up. I never text or look at my phone while driving. If I am using it for directions, I make sure to have it turned up so I can follow the voice directions and I don’t have to look at the map. If I am driving with friends in the car, I do not let them be loud or distracting. I also encourage my friends to use safe driving practices. I will not ride with anyone who speeds, is not buckled, or tries to text while driving.

I have experienced firsthand the damage that a minor car accident can do, and I don’t ever want to experience a more serious one.