Mikah
Anderson
12
October 2019
Driver’s
Education Initiative Award





It was 10 o’clock at night,
surrounded by the stars, sitting in a car deep within the mountains.
Looking out the window and seeing the outlines of mountains and
evergreen trees passing by, with our music playing quietly in the
background. The subtle vibrations of the car were lulling me to sleep
and unbeknownst to me, the car was also lulling the driver to sleep.
Until seconds later we were instantaneously awoken by the blaring
horn of a semi-truck when we accidentally drifted into his lane. It
is needless to say that we were both wide awake until we got home two
hours later. Had we been thinking straight, we would have thought
back to drivers ed where we learned to pull off the road
and take a nap if needed. We easily could have been hit and killed by
that semi-truck on the pass, we were being entirely irresponsible.

Drivers ed is very
important for many reasons, but most importantly reducing deaths. New
drivers have a very high chance of getting into an accident and
drivers ed helps to keep that number as low as possible. Us new
drivers lack the skill and hours that make for a truly “good”
driver, but we can gain some of that from drivers ed. There are
instruction hours, in which you drive a car with an instructor, and
also, practice hours, where you are to practice on your own time. All
this combined make driving school an invaluable experience for new
drivers.

To keep as safe as possible and
reduce death on the roads there are a few important steps. The first
step is to wear a seat belt. The ten seconds of time that it takes to
put it on is not worth your life. The second step is to be sure
everything is in the right positioning. Take the time to adjust your
seat, mirrors, and whatever else before you start driving. Then there
is no distracting yourself with that and you can focus on the most
important thing, driving safely. The third and final step to being
safe on the road is driving defensively. What I mean when I say this
is, watch for others on the road because they are not guaranteed to
be watching for you.

As for me personally, the best
things that I can do, is what I’m already doing. I’ve been
driving since before I was 16 and have never been in an accident. I
drive defensively and have even been told that I’m a safe driver by
many people. If I pay attention to those around me, buckle my seat
belt, and have my seat and mirrors adjusted correctly, I should be
just fine.

Car crashes kill far too many
young people in America, and it is unnecessary. Drivers ed
teaches young drivers how to be the best possible drivers they can be
and stay the safest they can. For all these reasons above, driver’s
education has proven its importance for young people.