It Starts With Education

I recently passed my 16th birthday and as I celebrated, friends and family all said the same thing to me, “time to start driving!”. I smiled everytime, but behind the smile there was fear. Why was I afraid? In drivers education, drilled into our mind was the dangers of texting and driving, drinking and driving, and just driving in general. Many of my fellow classmates say driver's education was a waste of time and a waste of a school period, but I completely disagree. Driver education was, in my opinion, one of the most crucial classes I took and I can confidently say is the reason I am so careful while driving. Some may say that it’s not good to instill fear in teenagers learning how to drive, but a little fear mixed into the excitement is essential in order to reign in new drivers and educate them on the consequences of what they are about to do. Watching videos on the negative effects of not being attentive and alert at the wheel has kept me from looking at my phone, talking with friends, and other attention-grabbing actions while driving a car. Without the teachings from my instructor and informational videos, I truly believe I would be much more likely to slip up at the wheel and not take driving as the serious matter that it is. In order to reduce the number of driving related deaths, I suggest a rigorous driver education curriculum. This includes producing and showing more educational videos that include victims of real car accidents to teenagers in highschool. Additionally, it means creating more dynamic lessons with visual aids that grab the attention of young adults, practically forcing them to absorb the information. In schools, teenagers attend one class in sophomore year to learn the basics of driving, but I say this is not enough. We must start implementing these teachings earlier, starting in middle school, and give drivers education its own course, instead of a short lesson that only lasts one quarter of the year. Personally, I have been in a car accident, but thankfully there were minimal injuries and I was able to walk away practically unscathed. Unfortunately, many others don’t get this luxury. In my own experience, the driver behind me had not been paying attention and ended up rear ending my car. It was one of the scariest moments of my life, so I can only imagine how terrifying it is to experience an accident with injuries and/or fatalities. I know that I can take personal steps to keep those around me safe while driving. I can help educate the younger generation on the dangers of driving, and while driving, set a good example by keeping all distractions, like my phone or the radio, off or not in reach. I will do everything in my power to avoid any accidents and protect the lives of those around me.