Driver’s education is vital. With this, the  relation of driver education in reducing the number of deaths caused by road accidents is how this education helps equip drivers with the knowledge needed to ensure   as they abide by  traffic laws and rules, attain  driving skills, promotes defensive driving which ultimately gives them the capability to address risky behavior by themselves and others, and promotes responsible decision-making.



As a new driver, I have realized that many people are careless drivers. However, the more I reflect on others' driving mistakes like speeding, texting and driving, or merging into lanes without signaling; I have thought that maybe other people are not aware of the danger that they are putting themselves and others in.



 I have never been in a car accident, but I have had loved ones who have been in accidents caused by a motorized vehicle. I remember two summers ago I was at my grandparent's house when I received a call from my mother. Before I could say anything, she told me that she and my father were rear-ended on the highway. The driver behind them was not paying attention and merged too close to my parents into the next lane. At that moment my stomach dropped, images of the most fatal and ugly car crashes flashed in my head and all I could think about was who’s hurt? and how am I going to get to the hospital? I wish this feeling on no one, your breath becomes short, your stomach drops, and you only think of the worst. Thankfully, the accident did more damage to my dad's car than to my parents.



While this accident did not have serious repercussions, it did give me a different understanding of the importance of driver education prompting me to take a government-approved driver's education class. In my driver education class, I was shown multiple videos of fatal car accidents due to careless driving and people not following safe driving habits. One could say that these videos scared me into driving safely; even if they did, they were effective enough to make me pay extra attention to how safely I am driving. In Canada, driver’s education classes are voluntary, however, I do believe that to reduce the number of deaths resulting from driving, driving education classes should be mandatory in order for one to receive their G2 license which is the second-level driver's license that allows individuals to drive by themselves accompanied by a curfew. I also think that a step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is pushing back the age of individuals that are allowed to drive a vehicle by themselves. I can not speak on behalf of the United States of America since I am Canadian.



However, in Canada, individuals can start driving by themselves with a G2 license as soon as they are 16 years old. While these individuals have to go through the same standardized testing as everyone else in the country, I do wonder why people can get behind the wheel of a machine that can go hundreds of kilometers an hour and possibly kill people at the age of 16 but according to the government cannot be trusted with alcohol or cannabis products until the age of nineteen. At the age of sixteen individuals, the frontal lobe of the brain which is responsible for self-monitoring has not developed as yet, yet we trust them to get into a machine that has helped and/or solely caused about 2,045 deaths this year in Canada.



Throughout all this, I think that I can do my part of practicing safe driving like driving within the speed limit, following road safety rules and laws, and removing distractions while driving. However, helping others become safer drivers is a bit more challenging. I do believe that people will drive riskily if they truly desire to, however, I can do my best to remind friends and family of the dangers of careless driving and to remind them when they are taking dangerous risks while behind the wheel. However, I do believe that the end all be all would be mandatory driving education classes as driver education is a tool that can be used to reduce driving-related deaths by prepping new drivers to make safe and smart choices, respond to hazards effectively and efficiently, and respect the rules of the road. With mandatory drinking education courses that are government-approved along with new drivers coming in at an older and more developed age, I believe that we can create a safer driving environment for all road users.