Driving Education: A Lifesaving Necessity

My name is Caasi Floyd, and I am a 17-year-old African American female, about to begin my senior year at Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Georgia. As the youngest of seven in a blended family,  I am determined to become their most successful child—someone who is knowledgeable, skillful, and able to give back to others. In my town, there are a great deal of young drivers. Some do not know that they are holding thier life others' lives in their hands when operating a vehicle. My goal is to encourage and highlight the importance of safe driving education.

On January 29, 1886, a German engineer named Karl Benz created the first car. Over time, inventors such as Etienne Lenoir, Alexander Winton, Arthur Constantin Krebs, George B. Selden, and Pierre-Joseph Raval built on this new invention. Years passed, and now the world's main mode of transportation is by automobile, yet it is also the most dangerous. You would think that after 140 years of development, education, and safety measures would have been implemented, but they haven't. Only a small fraction of high schools in the U.S. have driver's education classes, but the highest-risk age group is from 16-19. With this lack of knowledge, future generations will not be able to grow up and pass on important information if they are all dying in car accidents. This is where we take a stand for both drivers and passengers, young or old, to make it crucial to learn safe driving.

The importance of driver education is a key factor in life. While a lack of knowledge about driver education is not the main cause of fatal car accidents, taking driver education classes is a helpful basic skill. In these classes, you learn road laws, essential vehicle operations, and driving strategies required to pass the driving test. Statistically, people who take driver’s education are typically safer drivers. These programs reduce traffic violations and vehicle accidents between drivers. Implementing driver education classes should be considered essential. 

In June of 2024, I got into a car accident with my mother; it was one of the scariest moments in my life. We were on 84 in the left lane; she was taking me to work as usual. In the right lane, there were two cars: a white Chevy Malibu and a gold Chevy Tahoe. The Malibu made an abrupt stop because they were about to miss their turn; as a result, the Tahoe swerved hard into the left lane and crashed into the passenger side where I was sitting. My mother’s car was totaled. I still remember the smell of burnt rubber, the light smoke, and the seat belt choking me. That experience has led me to want to learn and practice safe driving so I do not cause harm or trauma to someone.

It is very important to practice safe driving in the modern day. From an individual standpoint, there are several ways to start. You can always buckle up first before driving or riding in a car; nearly 50% of car accidents result in fatality because the occupants were not wearing a seatbelt. Putting on a seatbelt would reduce the risk of death of front seat passengers by 50%. Secondly, you could eliminate distractions. Approximately 1.6 million car crashes a year happen because of texting and driving; eliminating distractions keeps the driver focused on the road and more cautious of other drivers. Thirdly, practice driving completely sober. Driving under the influence of either drugs or alcohol can result in roughly 30% to 50% of all fatal accidents. Fourthly, obey traffic laws. Roughly 5.6 million crashes occur due to law violations and driving errors. Finally, driving on lack of sleep. Lack of sleep causes between 90,000 and 328,000 motor vehicle accidents. By implementing these solutions, drivers and passengers can gain a better sense of what it means to drive safely.

Becoming a safe driver should a driver either new and experienced main goal when operating a motor vehicle. Taking the necessary steps to learn the rules of the road should be a priority for the individual operating the vehicle. Even reading your state's driver's manual can also help master the traffic laws and become more cognizant of them. To help the surrounding areas, hosting a community outreach event can help people gain knowledge about driving safety. Hosting an event for the teens is crucial because most drivers are teens. It would get them interested in learning how to drive responsibly. Ideally, this will motivate them to pass this information on to their friends.