Drivers Education Reform

You can’t effectively do a task unless you have been properly taught. If you haven’t been taught how to do something all your knowledge will come simply from doing that task and trying new things. This can be a powerful learning tool for some more harmless tasks such as playing a game of basketball or learning how to draw. It should not however be a method of learning for driving on public roads.

More and more students are going through drivers ed barely passing and not really caring. Some even to the point of lying about hours completed for behind the wheel. This as you may imagine is a quite horrible thing. Unexperienced drivers who are learning everything they know about driving from their trips alone in a car they don’t feel comfortable driving are dangerous. The most dangerous person on the road is a scared unprepared driver. Those who drive recklessly are an absolute danger but don’t compare to those who lack experience.

In order to fix this, we must find a way to ensure new drivers are going out with every advantage possible. New drivers must be able to drive well in a safe manner before we let them out on the road. The tests done by the schools for behind the wheel help but are nothing compared to hours and hours of practice that should be done at home. There needs to be a way to make sure that these hours are not being forged either. While the student may see it as an opportunity to get a license sooner it leaves them with nothing more than a handicap when they go out to drive. They will find themselves in situations where they lack the knowledge to operate the vehicle in a safe manner.

This is why a scared driver is worse than a reckless driver. While the reckless driver often puts himself in danger due to pushing his limits a scared driver is already past theirs. This again Is why we must make sure our new drivers are confident and hold all the required knowledge to operate a motor vehicle safely. If we can ensure with absolute certainty that all new drivers posses the tools required when they leave their training, then accidents and fatalities will fall drastically.

As for myself I can be safer simply by making sure I am more aware. I possess the tools needed to be a confident driver but don’t always find myself using them. When driving tired sometimes my awareness and judgement which are normally sharp may be delayed. This can not only put myself in danger but can endanger those around me.

At the end of the day there are many causes for unsafe driving. The most prevalent of those however is scared and unexperienced drivers. I believe if we could solve the problem of uneducated drivers, we could get car related fatalities to drop dramatically. We need to strengthen our drivers ed system and instead of making sure everyone passes we need to make sure everyone who passes understands. If people have the knowledge it can then be up to them to practice safe driving habits. Until every driver has the required knowledge however, the blame does not lie entirely on them.