Saben
Johnson
Oct.
16, 2019
DMV
Scholarship Essay

Importance
of Drivers ed

New
drivers, especially young ones, have extremely high crash rates.
In
2016, 2,433 teens in the United States ages 16-19 died from at-fault
collisions. A major reason that young drivers are overly represented
in road crashes is because they are inexperienced, lacking the
necessary driving skills and capabilities. This is not
surprising because driving is a complex, self-paced activity
involving a myriad of basic tasks (for example, steering, braking)
and higher order skills (for example, hazard perception, problem
solving), many of which are essential to safe vehicle operation.
Requiring drivers ed before licensing and stressing the
importance of it could drastically reduce the number of deaths as a
result of driving.

A
prevalent response to address the complexities inherent in driving
and the amount of deaths that occur has been to ensure that the
needed skills and capabilities are provided before full licensing is
permitted. This is usually done either less formally under
supervision of a parent or other adult licensed driver, or formally
under professional in-class and in-vehicle instruction, or both.
There has always been considerable expectation for the value of
formal education and training. Indeed, such programs are generally
accepted as an efficient and effective means for learning to drive
and for preparing to take the road test, which sets the minimum
driving standards in a jurisdiction.

Teaching
the skills needed to pass the road test, however, is not the only, or
most important, stated objective of drivers ed and training
programs. The principal goal of many, if not most, drivers ed
and training programs is to produce “safer” drivers, defined in
terms of collision involvement. By focusing on reducing the number of
collisions that happen among drivers, this will result in a decrease
in the amount of deaths that happen from collisions because the
initial driver collision numbers will decrease.

When
I was sixteen years old, not long after receiving my license, I
experienced a car accident myself. Even though I knew the legal laws
and everything to pass a driver’s test, I was not fully aware of my
surroundings at the time and wrecked into the car that was in front
of me. Luckily, nobody got hurt in the situation, but I did total my
car, and the experience left a lasting impression in my mind. Ever
since my wreck from driving irresponsibly, I have committed myself to
always being aware of my surroundings when driving and following all
legal laws and procedures.


There
are a couple simple steps I can take to become a better and more,
“safe” driver. The main and most important step I can take always
think, “safety first.” Second, I can read and research on how to
become a better driver. Last, but not least, I can work on always
being aware of my surroundings. If I do these things, it not only
makes driving safer for me; it makes driving safer for the people
around me as well.