Drivers education is the process of learning the do’s and dont’s of the road and the proper operation of a vehicle. The importance of driver education could save the lives of many, once you know the rules of the road and get enough time practicing driving on the road you develop confidence creating a better driver. A step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths is raising the age requirement to drive, which could provide younger drivers a larger opportunity to practice and mature before getting on the road .
I started my driving career in the classroom at a driving school in Texas at the age of 15 without a permit. My mother signed me up for the 8-week course in the classroom with my best friend Samantha, so I guess I wasn't truly there to learn the rules of the road. Considering I had a distraction in the room with me I knew learning wasn’t going to be so easy. In the classroom twice a week, it consisted of 2 hours of watching videos, lecturing, and then completing a quiz for the day-to-day grade. I missed a handful of classes due to catching the well-known virus taking over, COVID-19. Eventually, we completed the course and passed it immensely.
We finally finished the classroom portion! We had eight real driving lessons we had to do where we got in the car and on the road with a teacher. You were only allowed to book a lesson once per 2 weeks and the booking system was quite chaotic creating larger gaps between each session. The lessons consisted mostly of driving from the school to neighborhood to neighborhood taking main roads and eventually leading up to access roads. The teachers practiced important skills with us such as 3-point turns, parallel parking, changing lanes, and turning. Our very first driving lesson of the class we had a teacher we had never met. He was tall and not the nicest. It was my friend Samantha’s FIRST time driving ever, so we started in the parking lot, and I remember being scared for my life. The teacher luckily had a brake on his side of the car which provided an extra blanket of safety for the other people in the car. First, he took her out on the main roads to see how she would do, though she got distracted often by talking and making jokes with him ( he was not pleased ). Upon each session, we received a grade based on how we drove during that slot.
Upon completing the driving prerequisites I got to take the driving test, which happened to be on my birthday. I took a practice test prior to the real test and aced it. When I started the real test after everything was completed, I began reversing into the parallel spot, and “BAM” I hit the curb. I then began to drive back holding back my tears of disappointment, she gave me my test back and I was shocked “ I passed!!” I screamed.
After a solid two weeks of driving, my friend Merit and I were on the way home after dropping our friend Jax off. I was turning right on red and then all of a sudden I heard glass shattering and felt my car losing control “DRIVE” Merit said. Startled, I pulled over to the side of the road hoping what had happened didn't just happen. I stepped out of the car to see my headlight was smashed in, my fog light was missing, and my car was indented and scratched. I talk to the guy I hit and am so overwhelmed I don't know what to do. I call my parents who come straight to the scene. I get back in my mom’s car as I’m being yelled at, still in shock as to what just happened. If I had known to make sure no one was turning left instead of focusing on the people going straight this accident wouldn't have happened.
I believe driving school and background education should be stressed to the upcoming generations. Not only should we stress driving education but also the fact of passing students who SHOULD NOT be on the road with zero experience. Even the older generations who are on the road having impaired vision and hearing are still currently driving. They need their licenses revoked upon safety concerns of everyone else. It is my strong belief that teaching teens at a younger age will prevent more accidents and save the lives of civilians.