Driver education is an extremely important and undervalued resource when it comes to driving. I took driver’s ed as early as I could because I wanted to be able to drive by myself at the age of 17 and didn’t think that I would actually learn anything or use any of the skills since I already “knew” how to drive. I didn’t. I learned so many techniques and maneuvers that I had never heard before but now I use them every time I drive. These techniques aren’t even the most valuable part of driver’s ed. Driver education thought me how to drive safely and successfully in any environment. Since I’ve started driving I have noticed that there are so many hazards wherever I drive, from potholes to jaywalkers, and it can be very difficult to avoid them. However, I have noticed that since I took driver’s ed it has been much easier to deal with these hazards safely and with confidence, which is another really important skill that I was taught during driver’s ed. I have seen so many accidents happen because a potentially good and safe driver was hesitant and didn’t have the confidence in themselves to make a decision. Driving can require a lot of quick thinking and driver education prepares you for that. Another huge hazard that I learned how to deal with during driver’s ed was bad drivers. No matter where you drive you will always experience reckless or ignorant drivers who don’t obey rules and act as a huge hazard. By being taught proper driving skills and road etiquette through driver’s ed you can learn how to not let these human hazards endanger you.

There are a number of steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. The most important step, no matter how repetitive it sounds, is taking driver’s ed because it literally teaches you how to drive safely. There are however a couple of steps aside from driver’s ed that can be taken. First of all, maintaining your vehicle is one important step. Going to your annual inspection is one important way to do this. This makes sure that your car is running the way it should be and that all the parts are working the way they should, and that your car doesn’t break down or malfunction and a crash happen. Another important step that can be taken is learning to stay calm on the road. No matter what you are taught in driver’s ed, it won’t teach you as an individual how to stay calm. That is something that everyone needs to figure out for themselves as it is imperative. 56% of car crashes happen because of road rage. That is a huge percentage and it just goes to show how important it is to stay calm while driving.

When I was younger I was in a car crash and I remember it vividly. My mom was driving late at night on the freeway taking me home from a judo tournament when out of nowhere a Freightliner semi-truck rear-ended us. The whole trunk of our car was destroyed and I was so terrified. My mom pulls over and the truck driver does the same. He gets out of his car and instead of apologizing, he starts yelling at us about how we were going too slow, and how my mom doesn’t know how to drive. He seemed so angry about something that was his fault and it just goes to show how important staying cool is. After we exchanged insurance information and the police came, eventually we went on our way and we saw him driving and he was still being reckless and not obeying any traffic laws. There are so many people like this on the roads and the best way to deal with them is to know what ur doing on the road and the best way to do that is driver’s ed.

A lot of driving is just practice so when one is learning how to drive it is a good idea to go out with someone who is really experienced and drive in a place without a lot of people in them so you can get familiar with how handling a car feels. In addition, make sure that you are well equipped for the road by knowing all the rules and traffic violations. All of this along with a course in driver education is sure to make you a great driver.