Whenever driver education is brought up, most people think of learning about the basics of driving a car, positive driving habits, and the dangers of drunk/distracted driving. It can help people to be safe drivers in any situation while stressing the importance of sticking to traffic laws. Examples of the consequences of drunk and distracted driving in class can also dissuade people from picking up those negative habits. Overall, drivers education is a great way to set an expectation of safe driving for new drivers to follow and help to make the roads safer.
Even though driver education is initially successful in preventing more severe accidents, it fails to address the problem of aggressive/speed driving and its consequences. Since I received my learner's permit and began driving, I’ve experienced people who have tailgated me, aggressively cut in front of me without a signal, or gone significantly over the speed limit to pass me, all of which are aggressive behaviors that aren’t necessarily touched upon in drivers education. Those same aggressive drivers have most likely gone through a drivers education class and passed, but are still aggressive. I’ve found myself in many situations in which I have to drive defensively while people around me are reckless, and whenever I complain about it, my parents often make an off-hand comment about how bad Maryland drivers are.
The stats show that this isn’t something that should be ignored. In Maryland, 11,177 crashes were caused by speeding or aggressive driving (without drugs/alcohol involved) according to the Maryland Highway Safety Office as of 2023, which resulted in nearly 150 deaths. This trend can be seen throughout the US as well. A study conducted by the American Automobile Association reported that 48% of drivers go 15+ mph above the speed limit on highways, 34% of people tailgate to prevent merging or because the person in front of them is going “too slow”, and 22% of people cut in front of another vehicle without signaling. When essentially millions of people are driving aggressively, it becomes normalized, and so new drivers will also pick up these bad habits. Although we aren’t actively encouraging it, our actions are enough to convince others to do the same.
It's an issue that extends to driver education itself. In my driving education class, our instructor told us that we should usually move with the flow of traffic, not the speed limit. It logically makes sense, because if you are going significantly slower than those around you, other drivers have to evade you to maintain their speed. But when the flow of traffic is always 15+ mph above the speed limit, it presents a clear safety issue. You shouldn’t have to endanger yourself or others just because you may be an obstruction when going at the speed limit. This normalization is even worse when we consider the fact that many highways have a “fast lane” where people go 80 mph on a highway with a speed limit of 60 mph. You’re at most saving 8-10 minutes on your trip when going this fast, and because a collision at those speeds would greatly increase the chances of death or permanent severe injury, it isn’t worth the time.
While drivers education is good at showing the dangers of drunk/distracted driving, it fails to highlight the issue of aggressive driving, something that more people are subject to falling into. I believe that more thorough driver education can effectively address this issue, and encourage more defensive driving techniques. Driver education usually talks about habits that should be done, such as signaled lane changing and driving at the speed limit. But perhaps some time should be devoted to talking about the negative effects of “casual” reckless driving, i.e. tailgating, no signaling, and speeding. Patience on the road is the most important aspect of this and might be the stem of the issue. Aggressive behavior mostly comes from people being in a rush, so statistics like the one mentioned above about how little time is being saved when speeding should be taught and assessed in driver education. This can also be applied to other aggressive maneuvers that are unsafe and don’t save any time, such as potentially running through a red light. Defensive driving in an environment of aggressive drivers should also be discussed. From my personal experience, my parents have taught me more defensive driving tips than the basic ones I learned in driver's education, which unfortunately involve being almost as aggressive as other drivers. With these changes, driver education will have a more long-lasting effect on the safety of those on the road.
I would like to remind newer drivers to not be swayed by the actions of those around you. Stay conscious of your behavior and how it may affect others on the road, and stick with the defensive driving techniques you learned in driver's ed. The earlier we avoid these dangerous habits, the less likely we will be to become attached to them.