Drivers Education Initiative Scholarship

Every teen and young adult’s driving career begins with drivers ed. This course is a critical for understanding how to properly and safely operate an automobile. Drivers ed provides fundamental knowledge for navigating public roads, abiding by traffic laws, and operating a vehicle responsibly. This valuable information is taught to adolescents to promote safe driving and hopefully reduce the likelihood of someone being involved in a collision. Vehicle crashes happen quite frequently across the country. Unfortunately, many of which result in the loss of life. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 37,461 people were killed in vehicle crashes in 2016, and 3 years later, the numbers continue to rise. With more young drivers on the road, drivers ed is critical in teaching safe driving habits, so people can get to where they need to be without putting themselves in danger. People often have the “it won’t happen to me” mentality when it comes to vehicle collisions. But even if one practices safe driving techniques, that does not always protect themselves from the reckless drivers who share the same roads. An unexpected serious injury of death resulting from a car crash can be devastating to everyone involved: victims, their families, and the drivers.

Several steps can be taken to reduce driving related deaths and promote safe driving. While the nature or circumstances of incidents on the roads vary, several vehicle collisions and crashes are caused by similar reasons. One of the most prevalent causes of vehicle incidents is distracted driving. In the past decade, cell phones caused a surge in distracted driving, often due to texting. The human brain cannot divide its full attention to the road and the phone at the same time. This leaves drivers who text dangerous and vulnerable. Society needs to place stronger emphasis on the dangers of texting and driving and inform drivers that whatever text they received is not worth risking their life or livelihood for. However, phone usage goes beyond texting I often find myself answering phone calls or looking at my phone to change a song. While these may seem more subtle and harmless then texting, they have a similar effect and can take away one’s focus from the road. Another form of distracted driving that I often find myself exposed to is caused by having several people in the car. Common amongst teens and young adults, a small crowd packed in someone’s car may seem entertaining, but that’s why it can be dangerous. The excitement and social aspect of friends in the car together may limit the drivers’ ability to focus. While I have never been in a crash, I have been exposed to people driving irresponsibly. When I know of friends who do not focus completely on driving when with a group, I often volunteer to drive since I trust my ability to focus on the road. This has taught me the importance of safe driving and how distracted driving can put people in harm’s way.