Imagine if

Imagine if suddenly 1.25 million people disappeared, vanished. Imagine if you never got to see your teenage child again. Imagine if he never made it home because of a drunk driver. 1.25 million people, the population size of Maine, die on the road every year. Road safety is something that we don’t think about – until it is too late.

Where to start? There are 225 million licensed drivers in the United States. Every year the number increases when new drivers come on the road. The best place to start is with those incoming drivers. Drivers ed is crucial to road safety and saving lives. To ensure new drivers are safe, they need to be given the proper training. According to the article, 7 Benefits of Drivers ed Courses by Rachel Despres, teenage drivers that take Drivers Ed learn mechanical knowledge, rules of the road, consequences of drunk driving, defensive driving techniques, responsibility, confidence, and much more. Taking a drivers ed course will help to protect lives by reducing detrimental behavior through education.

Twenty eight percent of driving related deaths are from driving while under the influence. Despres says in her article, “It’s one thing to tell your teenaged son or daughter not to drink and drive. It is another thing entirely for your teen to sit through a devastating series of videos that show the destruction and consequences caused by drunk driving or people driving while under the influence of drugs.” Through drivers ed, students are deterred when they see the havoc and pain drunk driving causes.

The drivers ed web site says, “if you're talking or texting, your eyes and mind aren't on the road.” Drivers aren’t focused on the road while on a phone. It’s the most common way to get into a crash. Drivers Ed students are warned and learn the devastating consequences of using technology while driving.

Lastly, through drivers ed, young drivers gain confidence. Without confidence in knowledge and skill it is nearly impossible to drive safely. With confidence based on knowledge, drivers will drive safely. Drivers ed helps tremendously with boosting confidence. According to a study done by University of Nebraska, “Young drivers who have not completed drivers education are … 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16 percent more likely to have an accident.”

Imagine if we had 24 percent greater chance of survival. Imagine if you could trust those driving around you. Imagine if more people came home alive. Start by taking action. Imagination sparks a dream, and a dream sparks reality.