Why starting young on drivers education will save lives

Driving is an innate part of most people’s everyday schedule. From the suburbanites to the white-collar employees in larger urban areas, it is almost always necessary to drive to get from point A to point B. Because of this, however, the risks that are associated with driving are often left on the back burner of most people’s minds. Most people are not highly alert whenever they brush their teeth, comb their hair, or do any other basic tasks, so driving naturally ends up in this same category. This unfortunate reality is one of the biggest reasons why a revamping of driver education is a necessity. Reminding drivers of what it means to be responsible and safe will prevent the unnecessary loss of many lives and keep more people safe.

One of the biggest ways that we can reduce the number of driving-related deaths is by redesigning driver’s education. It has been established that teenagers are some of the most distracted drivers out there, and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t fall into this category. The brains of teenagers aren’t fully developed yet, and consequently, this impacts how they handle a multi-ton piece of metal running over fifty miles per hour. One of the best ways to combat distracted driving and the associated accidents is to start driver’s education early. This is not to say that there should be eleven-year-olds in the driver’s seat, but that the conversations about being alert while driving need to be had at a much younger age. As a result, children will grow up understanding the reality that distracted driving is fatal. Throughout elementary and middle school, children learn the dangers of drinking and driving, drug usage, cyberbullying, and other important issues. Integrating the importance of alert driving into the elementary curriculum would be a cost-effective and simple way to educate future drivers.

By implementing an emphasis on the importance of alert driving in younger children, as kids grow up they will have become acutely aware of just how important it is to be present when behind the wheel. But it only starts at the elementary level, programs dedicated to vehicle safety should extend into the junior high level as well. That way whenever these kids get to be older and start their formal driving education, these ideas are second nature to them. Distracted driving is a huge part of the driver’s education curriculum, but because there is so much material condensed into such a short amount of time key details and lessons can become lost. The harsh but true reality is that most people are just trying to pass the class and could care less about a lot of what is taught in these classes. However, it becomes significantly harder for people to forget the lessons they’ve been taught if they have been repeated to them since they were young.

But what does it mean to be an alert driver, and what exactly is it that should be taught? I believe that an emphasis should be placed on not only texting and driving but also on the importance of being aware of the actions of the cars around you. Driving with the understanding that everyone around you who is also driving a vehicle could at any time crash into you help people cope with the fact that driving is deadly if not done safely. Students should be taught what to do to make themselves better drivers, but should also know that not everyone is going to abide by the same driving etiquette that they are and that looking out for this is key to staying safe.

I have seen the impacts of inattentive driving upfront. In December of 2021, I was in an accident where my car was T-boned. After the initial hit, my car spun out and flipped over. Luckily, I drove a Jeep Wrangler, a car designed to protect drivers in the event of rolling over. My sister, who was in the car with me, and I ended up being completely fine. However, had we been driving a smaller car, that accident would have been fatal. I’ve always been alert about my driving, and before the accident, the only times I felt stressed about driving was in packed parking lots. However, due to this accident, my views on driving completely shifted. I was going straight, and it was the people who hit my car who made the wrong move as they were attempting to cross over four lanes of traffic. Had they been alert, I wouldn’t have gotten hit. Luckily, I was fine, but that isn’t always the case for most people. Simple yet idiotic mistakes like that take the lives of people every single day.

As for me, since the accident, I have become more aware of the harsh but unfortunate reality that you cannot trust those around you to make safe decisions while driving. My attentiveness to my surroundings and my preparedness that someone else will make a fatal mistake has grown exponentially. I never really drove with many distractions but now it is a guarantee that the road has my full attention. Conversations about being alert and driving are essential to prevent further accidents but they need to be ingrained in the minds of younger people so that understanding the importance of safe driving is second nature to them.