Impact on the education of drivers

Driver education is taught, not just to pass a test, but to also pass stories and lessons with consequences alongside them to new generations on the road. Most young adults and teenagers take drivers education and expect most of the lessons to be common knowledge like where is the gas pedal and how do you brake, but surprisingly most leave with way more knowledge than what they came with. The most effective way to teach something is to teach its consequences. By having guest speakers come in with firsthand experience of unsafe driving, it shows younger generations how fast things can change in an impulsive decision. It shows how much power you possess being in control of a vehicle. 

Having a guest speaker who was paralyzed as a result of drunk driving or a speaker whose friend passed away in the passenger seat due to distracted driving, puts responsibility in a new perspective. This allows the students to understand the amount of responsibility they have for themselves and others in the vehicle with them. Knowing the driver is always held responsible for any accidents, is intimidating enough. Having others share their mistakes and daft decisions can greatly reduce deaths related to driving with others having someone to tell them their mistakes before it happens. Showing their life as a result of these mistakes, using pathos as a major form of prevention. 

Just showing the horrific sides of driving though would have no one on the roads, so you have to also take into account the good things. For example the major benefits of having your own schedule and not having anyone chauffeur you around. I know as a teen who is involved with her school's track, cross-country, gymnastics team, and numerous school programs, my schedule can get full quickly. Not having a parent to rely on getting me there in time is nice. It takes some stress off of me knowing it is all on my own time, and some stress off of my parents to get me there on time. 

With a busy schedule though timelines can be close where you have practice at 2pm - 4pm and a club meeting 4:15pm - 5 pm. This can cause speeding, an extremely harmful habit to get into on the road. A cramped schedule can be difficult to balance, but arriving late is always safer than risking an accident. As a driver, if you are able to be aware of your surroundings and watch your speed, remembering lessons learned from drivers education, then you will become a more confident, safer driver benefiting you and others on the road. 

A lot of times you trust yourself as a driver on the road, but you can never trust others. You have to assume people are going to break some of the road laws so you need to know how to respond to these violations. Fortunately, you took driver's education so you know how to respond to others’ reckless driving. But what if there is reckless driving in a car that you are not in control of? What if a friend or peer is being dangerous on the road? First ALWAYS make sure everyone has a seat belt on before the vehicle is operated. To proceed with this situation you could jokingly mention how dangerous they are and hopefully they get the hint, but in some cases you need to be stern. If they play your comments off like a joke you have every right to get out of the car to show how serious of a situation this could be. An alternative way to go about this would be to offer to drive. Especially if a friend is under the influence. You can kindly offer to drive and grab their keys, but if they are persistent in driving themselves you can always call another friend or adult who might be able to handle the situation better. 

The best thing that you can do is be an example. You are the only person around you that you can control. Being a good driver and setting the example for your peers could go a long way even allowing others to think before they drive. Remind the people close to you on how to practice safe ways of driving. Remind them of their responsibilities on the road and how others can be extremely unpredictable out on the road. Most importantly remind others of the importance of another human being's life. Remind them that little impulsive decisions can ruin their lives and the lives of others. Drivers should lead by example and recognize the value of a human life.