Driver education and its direct correlation with mortality rates

Hinojosa 3

Alvaro T. Hinojosa III

Driver Education Initiative Award

Scholarship Opportunity

02 May 2020

“Driver education and its direct correlation with mortality rates”

An educated driver is a safe driver. Education in the sense of one’s ability to properly follow the rules of the road and not necessarily book smarts. A person can be very well educated but yet, still a terrible driver. This is most evident with the shocking statistic found in 2019 that each year, 1,519 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from motor-vehicle crashes. (“Consequences.”) Whether, not knowing how to safely drive in inclement weather or how to adjust the distance one keeps from the vehicle ahead of them, these are just some of the all-important details that one most know to safely drive on the open road. So many accidents and deaths can be prevented by abiding by a few simple steps.

Obey the traffic laws, be predictable, avoid distractions, drive rested, and steer clear of alcohol and drugs. This is a mantra that every driver on the road should know by heart. It is an all too common place to watch the news in the morning and listen to a story about an accident that happened overnight. Nine times out of ten it’s an accident that could have been avoided. Traffic laws, such as the speed limit, are in place to provide a uniformed and predictable environment. However, with distractions such as a tired driver or one that is being influenced by alcohol and/or drugs, the environment becomes very dangerous and a recipe for disaster. Educating the public is the key.

It must become common place to constantly be reminded on the rules of the road. Whether through commercials on the television or ads on websites, there must be a viral attempt to instill safety while driving. This strategy has shown promise in the past, especially with nicotine use. “thetruth.com”, was a viral campaign that had several ads and public demonstrations to educate on the risks of smoking and had much success with the youth. Cross-sectional studies on the effectiveness of the "truth" campaign provided convincing evidence that the campaign "had a significant impact on tobacco industry-related attitudes, beliefs, and other behavioral precursors, as well as a significant impact on youth smoking prevalence in the United States. (“Truth (Anti-Tobacco Campaign).”)

I personally have seen many of my friends drive very irresponsibly, whether speeding or driving while on their phone. In my opinion, a great strategy for improving driver safety within my community, is through leading by example. We are in a copy cat society and through setting a good example of maintaining the speed limit and always abiding by the traffic laws, other drivers, especially family and friends, will pick up on this example and might be inclined to follow suit.

Works Cited

“Consequences.” Consequences of College Drinking, www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/statistics/consequences.aspx.

“Truth (Anti-Tobacco Campaign).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Jan. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_(anti-tobacco_campaign).

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