DUI: Driving Under The Inexperience

What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving?

Putting an inexperienced driver behind the wheel of a car or truck is equivalent to having an inexperienced surgeon perform surgery. Now, this may sound a bit exaggerated but in both scenarios lack of education and experience may contribute to lives being put at risk. One would not want to hire a surgeon who has no surgical background, knowledge, or a degree in the field they are entering. Similarly, one would not want to have inexperienced drivers on the road. Imagine an inexperienced surgeon preparing to operate using the wrong tools versus a driver going 100mph in a compact vehicle on a narrow road. One can argue that both scenarios are equally dangerous. Devastating consequences can occur when we have drivers who lack knowledge about the rules of the road and drivers who are uneducated about how to properly operate their vehicle. Driving is a dangerous activity. One danger is driving full speed in a metal vehicle which weighs a few tons. Even the tiniest mistake can create a massive impact not just on the driver but to those around them. Driver education is crucial because it will teach drivers how to properly operate their vehicle and how to drive to their destinations safely. Drivers’ education is not only about learning how to travel from point A to point B but is it about learning how to be responsible for one’s life and the lives of others on the road.

What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving?

All it takes is one text, one glance or one slight movement towards the phone to end one’s life. About 400 fatal crashes occur every year as a result of texting and driving (Mandy Sleight). In fact, most accidents and traffic deaths occur because of distracted driving caused by cell phones. Distracted drivers are among the highest groups to be involved in fatal crashes. Unfortunately, the greatest proportion of distracted drivers are under the age of 20. Our youth are the main focal points of these traffic tragedies. Perhaps if more people knew the statistics behind the dangers of the road, it would reduce the numbers of deaths. Perhaps if more drivers knew that texting while driving is just as detrimental to your reaction time as consuming four beers then perhaps phone use on the roads would decrease. Perhaps if more drivers knew that the time it takes for one to respond to a text, 5 seconds is the amount of time it would take you to drive the length of a football field around 55mph. Perhaps if more of us knew that younger drivers are at a greater risk due to inexperience and lack of advanced driving abilities, then the number of deaths may be reduced. In terms of distracted driving, one believes there is no true solution to prevent it other than to simply stop texting and driving. According to the AAA foundation, “35% of teens admit to texting and driving even though 94% of them understand the dangers”. Now what does this say about our drivers? It is not that we lack the knowledge, we know better, but the deaths will not reduce until we simply choose to do better. In conclusion the steps we can take to reduce the number of deaths could be to educate ourselves on the matter, promote more drivers education courses in schools and choose to change ourselves and how we drive.

Have you ever had an experience of being in a car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly?

When I was about 5 years old, I was sitting in the backseat of my mother’s car. We were on our way home from daycare, and I remember playing with my toys and looking out the window. One moment I was tracing the cracks on the window and the next the whole car halted aggressively. My mom screamed and I just stared wide eyed as the whole windshield became cracked and shattered. A car had collided with the front of ours. The airbag was huge, and the cracks of the window resembled that of a spider’s web. When the police arrived, we found out that the woman who hit us was a young girl who was new to driving. She turned onto the opposite side of the road and collided with our car. She had called her father frantically and explained the situation, she even planned to drive away but luckily, she decided to stick around. My mom and I were taken in an ambulance to the hospital. Fortunately, we had no injuries and was cleared to leave. Now that I am older, I can say that I understand what the young girl was going through. At the time, she was young and inexperienced. I’ve made plenty of mistakes as a driver, some mistakes as small as crashing into a curb to mistakes as big as driving the wrong direction onto a one way. Both have been a result of my inexperience. Now I’m older and more experienced, I’ve learned and adapted, and I believe everyone has the potential to do the same.

What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road?

The steps I can take to be a better and safer driver include obeying the rules of the road. Simply going the speed limit and obeying the traffic lights can go a long way. Not only will I be protecting myself, but I would be making the road safer for those around me. Whatever skills I lack in driving I will make up for by driving more, becoming more in tune with my car and more familiar with the road and my surroundings. In terms of how I can further help others be safer on the road, I can share the knowledge I know about driving and the dangers of driving on the road with others so that they may not make the same mistakes I or others have made.