Life is not guaranteed. I know. I wasn’t home when the phone call came, but when my mom erupted in tears into my dad's chest the moment we walked in the door, I knew it was bad. My Aunt Pam had been killed in a car accident that was not her fault. It happened just last August, ten days before my 18th birthday and the start of my senior year in high school. Instead of heading to senior year with excitement and anticipation, I was scared when I got in the car to drive to school. Driver’s education can prevent fatalities like my aunt’s when driver education goes beyond getting a license at 16 years old to include analytical thinking, earlier “anti-driving” education, awareness of the impact of driving tired and signing a driver-safety contract.
Driver education needs to go beyond the one-dimensional skill of how to drive a car.
Of course, a driver needs actual practice, however, there are other parts of driving beyond how to read road signs or parallel park that can be addressed besides driving practice with an instructor. Driver’s education can include research and writing assignments. They do not have to be lengthy essays. It could be an assignment to analyze a fatal car accident and outline what could have been done to prevent it. When drivers have to evaluate car accidents, they will be more aware that driver safety goes beyond how to drive a car.
The message of “don’t drink and drive” is known by all but it’s too vague and too late for teenage drivers. It could be rebranded as an “anti-driving” campaign: “One drink is too many to drive.” When teens drink illegally, they think having one beer is not the same thing as getting drunk, so they are ok to drive. They fear getting in trouble with their parents for drinking so instead of staying at their friend’s house or getting an Uber home, they think they can drive. Driver education can begin years before kids are eligible for their learner’s permits. Beginning in 5th grade in middle school, teachers could have safety programs to teach kids about the risk of even one alcoholic drink or beer. For comparison, in middle schools, kids are taught safe sex at a young age and anti-smoking drawings happen in elementary school when students are way too young to buy cigarettes. Before teenagers even begin to drive they should have to make commitments and sign a pledge that they will not drive if they have any alcohol. The assignment should include writing a plan with their parents to remove the pressure to get in a car and get home. Education campaigns for anti-driving when drinking need to begin in middle school and be more specific that even one drink is too much for driving.
I have fortunately not been in a car accident. My experience with my aunt’s fatal car accident shows me that driving tired is just as dangerous as driving distracted or drunk. The driver did not take a break on an overnight trip. In the morning, he fell asleep and swerved into my aunt’s car. Since that happened, I have noticed highway signs that say “Take a break. Don’t drive tired.” Before her accident, I did not think about driving tired or how being sleepy impairs the driver. Driver’s education should include awareness about what happens to a driver when they drive long hours, and how long a rest should be. I wish I could tell the driver who hit my aunt that stopping for gas is not a long enough break, especially on an overnight drive.
The steps I can take to become a better driver start with self-awareness and making a plan. When I got my first cell phone, my parents made me sign a contract about how I was going to use it and not use it. I was not mature enough to know the pitfalls of having a smartphone at a young age. Driver’s ed could include a contract that people have to sign and review with their parents and their instructor or at the DMV before getting their license. The power of a contract feels like a stronger, intentional commitment to practice safe habits. If I am tempted to look at my phone beyond GPS, then put it in my bag behind my seat. If I am tired, don’t drive. I don’t drink, but if I ever do, even with only one drink, I will have a plan to stay or Uber. One way I can help other drivers be safer on the road is to talk to my friends about driving and their “anti-driving” plans if they have even one drink. When we road-trip, we can change drivers every few hours even if the driver wants to keep driving.
Overall, driver education plays an important role in preventing fatalities. The act of learning to drive a car is only one part of a driver’s training. Driver’s education can start earlier with anti-driving campaigns like anti-drug and anti-smoking campaigns that begin in elementary school. Part of the driver’s ed classes can include learning about other driver’s mistakes and fatigue. Adding a driver safety contract that a driver has to sign and review at the DMV when they get their license can help people commit to safer driving.
Thank you for considering my essay for the Driver’s Education Initiative Award: In the Driver’s Seat. I do not want anyone to have to go through losing a family member like we have. I hope my ideas for Driver’s Education will make a difference.