Driver Education Initiative – The Impact of Safe Driving

Hope Demers

Family. A group
consisting of parents and children living together in a household.
This word embodies the true reason safe driving plays such an
impactful role in my world and in most others. But does safe driving
occur before the consequences of losing family and friends ? Or
taking the lives of others, or their family and friends? Statistics
prove day by day again how overlooked these fatalities due to unsafe
driving really are. How our communities do not recognize the
importance of safe driving until they experience it personally.The
sad truth is most sympathize but do not truly make a conscious effort
to understand that in order to make a difference we all must change
our driving behaviors. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
compared fatality rates from road crashes with five leading causes of
death and found road crashes rates rising up to these common
health-related causes of deaths. Nearly 1.25 million people die in
road crashes each year meaning on average, 3,287 deaths a day and
20-50 million are injured or disabled from these accidents. There is
a one in twenty chance an accident you have been in in your lifetime
will result in serious injury. These statistics are only numbers but
to others are the loss of a sister, a parent, or a friend. With that
said the impact of unsafe driving in our society should affect more
than it has and statistics must change. By implementing better driver
education and by taking the steps to become better drivers
individually our roads will be safer and reduce the number of deaths
as a result of driving.

The importance of
drivers ed in every community is exceptionally important in
ensuring our roads are much safer and less deaths occur do to unsafe
driving behaviors. My experience in drivers ed as a young teen
was almost overlooked in some aspects. For example, my classes were
long and tiring allowing students, like myself, to be less and less
attentive as the hours went by. Later that year when it came to my
drivers test, the test was short and skipped vital road safety skills
that all new and old drivers should apply to the roads everyday.
Aspects to the test like school safety zones and full-stops at the
stop signs were overlooked. Out of 555 teens, 44% can not even pass
the permit test. More than half of all road traffic deaths occur
among young adults 15-44. The problem not only lies with the
education of new drivers but old as well. According to CNN, one in
six drivers would fail their drivers test if they had to take it
today. More than 50 percent of people fail their drivers test the
first time (Driving Peace Organization). We must change the driving
education system to change these statistics and obtain safe driving
standards in our communities. To start bettering drivers already on
the road, drivers must individually strive to do better.

By taking the
following steps drivers in our communities can improve and ensure the
roads are safer and safer day by day. Each step will reduce deaths in
relation to driving. Step one to becoming a safer driver is to remove
unsafe driving behaviors and habits from your driving routine. For
example texting and driving. According to the National Safety Council
1.6 million crashes a year are caused by just one unsafe driving
behavior: texting and driving. Not only the texting behavior but
another habit that results in accidents time and time again is
speeding. 26 percent of all traffic fatalities a year are caused by
speeding. Speeding is commonly forgotten about until accidents occur
or until caught by a police man… to ensure you are a safer driver
on the road check the speedometer every few minutes and remember the
consequences speeding truly has. Speeding means you are simply losing
track of the rules of the road which is another main behavior drivers
must work on. After changing your road behaviors and habits, you can
only become a better driver by driving responsibly. This means
focusing on driving and driving when fully aware and when it is
appropriate to drive. For example driving under the influence. Yet
another leading cause of death from poor driving behaviors is driving
under the influence. Everyday we learn about another family affected
by a serious accident involving drivers who were under the influence.
10,497 people died in influence- impared driving crashes in 2016…
accounting for 28% of traffic-related deaths in the US. Not only
knowing when to drive under these influence-imparied circumstances
but in daily life circumstances as well. If you are falling asleep at
the wheel, pull to a nearby stop and only drive when fully awake and
responsible. Lastly, take the step to share this information with
other drivers, friends, and family in your community… spread the
word to ensure we are taking action to drive safely to reduce these
deaths.

Reviewing these
statistics has reinforced my focus to be a safe teen driver and to
educate myself on road safety as I gain more experience driving. I
have experienced family and friends driving irresponsibly and have
been working to share alternative driving lifestyles with the people
close to me and my community everyday. I know that sharing my
experiences and tips with others will affect people around me in
time. I personally have implemented these driving behaviors as well
to become a more safe teen driver and set the example for people my
age and younger. As personal experience has only so much impact these
statistics have transformed my view on safe driving and I hope for my
work to reach many and other students in my community as well.

If you would also
like to spread awareness and knowledge on safe driving share my essay
with family and friends in your community! Thank you and remember to
drive safely!