Forewarned is Forearmed

Forewarned
is Forearmed

Driver
education is extremely important in reducing the number of driving
caused fatalities. According to the CDC, vehicle crashes are the
number one cause of death for teens. They are new to driving and less
experienced than more mature adults, don’t realize when they are
speeding to a dangerous degree, are more dangerous when inebriated
than older drivers, and often put little importance on wearing a
seatbelt.
(https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html)
As the vast majority of Americans obtain their license when they are
in their teens, training them to be safe drivers and warning them of
these dangers is key.

The
main reason that drivers ed is so important is because it
educates new drivers on how to be safe and successful drivers. Being
able to read road signs and know the rules of the road is vital to
being a skillful driver. Many times, especially in large, busy
cities, drivers have to act immediately, something that can be
overwhelming for new drivers. Drivers ed drills the rules of
the road into learners before they ever get on the highway so
reacting to situations becomes second nature.

Many
programs also include time with an experienced driver. The instructor
helps the new driver learn; a good teacher will give them confidence
and sureness in their ability as a driver. Most cars specifically for
this purpose have a brake on the instructor’s side so they remain
in control, which often helps calm the first-time driver calm down.

The
education course also provides helpful tips to become a better driver
faster. For example, drivers should enter a sharp curve slower and
then accelerate out of it. Another common tip is the two- second
rule. These are simple things that may seem like common knowledge to
more experienced drivers, but they can be very helpful to beginners.

Warning
of the dangers of driving is an important part of drivers ed as
well. Specifically, a lot of emphasis is put on not driving drunk or
on drugs. It is illegal to drink under the age of twenty-one but many
do anyway and the results are often disastrous, especially when going
at least fifty miles per hour in a large and heavy vehicle. Besides
being incredibly unsafe for oneself, it also puts many others at risk
as well, such as the other passengers, other drivers, and people on
the side of the road or in buildings that the inebriated driver might
run into.

Lastly,
drivers ed puts a huge emphasis on the importance of being
alert. Driving while intoxicated as mentioned previously is very
dangerous but so is driving while very tired and falling asleep at
the wheel. Even when wide awake and thinking clearly, being aware of
what’s going on around one is vital to being a safe driver. If the
driver is alert and constantly aware of their surroundings and
looking out for danger, they are sure to be successful, no matter how
new they are to driving.