The Importance of Drivers ed

Title:
The Importance of Drivers ed

Joshua
Brooks

Clements
High School – Class of 2020

Earning
a driver’s license is one of the biggest moments in a teenager’s
life, as it begins their journey to adulthood and becoming more
independent. The issue for these new drivers is balancing the weight
of responsibility – after all, we are holding in our hands the
lives of all the other drivers with whom we share the road. But even
for those teens who aren’t moved by the safety of others,
consideration for their own safety or for their friends and family
should be a high priority.

Many
people who become advocates for driver safety become more vocal
against distracted driving after they lose someone or have a
near-death experience. However, drivers – including teenagers and
other new drivers – need to be more aware of these issues prior to
these accidents in order to prevent these events from happening.
Nearly everyone who earns their license must take some type of
drivers ed, although it is not offered in high schools as
often as it was for my parent’s generation. Unfortunately, the
number of people who actually remember the driving statistics and
regulations from that education declines significantly once they get
past “green means go.” Drivers ed and awareness is
extremely beneficial if we retain the information and apply it every
time we get out on the road. If a mandatory program was implemented
in school or online that required teenage drivers to be educated or
quizzed regularly after receiving their license, I think it could go
a long way in reducing the damage being done. A mandatory online
review and quiz every six months would do the trick.

While
I have never been involved in an accident behind the wheel, I was
part of one back when biking was my main method of transportation. I
was riding in the crosswalk when a woman drove a little too far into
the intersection as she was dealing with her kids in the backseat. I
saw the woman looking into the backseat as she came into the
intersection too fast. Because I was watching the entire incident
develop, I was able to hop off my bike just before the moment of
impact. I avoided any injuries, but my bike ended up with a dented
frame and a bent wheel. I didn’t realize how lucky I was until I
got older. This example demonstrates that adults may benefit from a
mandatory online review and quiz as well.

Becoming a better driver starts with
realizing the significance of being on the road and how many lives
are at stake each time you touch the wheel. Once one takes all this
into consideration, teenage drivers can become more focused and
locked-in, producing safer roads across the country.