I believe that the number of deaths in motor vehicle accidents could be greatly reduced by lengthening the time frame of driver training. Our society’s framework for how drivers are trained are to make students wait until they are at least 15 before they can get a learner’s permit, and then they have only six months of driver training class in school. Drivers ed then is limited to about six months of one class period in school, and limited time with a state licensed instructor. Then when they hit 16 years old, they can have a license to drive alone, only two years before they are ready to head out to college. This two-year period is when teens are most likely to crash, given their lack of experience.
I see this system as a great imbalance. Driving is an occupation for a vast number of people, but they only get trained professionally if they want a commercial license to drive larger transports. The worst part about our drivers ed system is that it starts late, right in the middle of the teen years when everything around us seems chaotic. The pressures of everything from first jobs to dating and what are we going to be when we “grow up” and college choices to fit the career goals; high school grades too, on top of possible family issues are all raging around in the mind. Through all this, we’re supposed to pick up skills and memorize road rules that really take years to adequately learn. And that’s not even considering situations where siblings are close in age and taking turns trying to learn driving at the same time.
I don’t think the solution would be to lengthen out the high school drivers ed classes. That program is already bursting at the seams, overcrowded, and teachers stretched thin. I believe that the best solution is to lower the age for learners permits. The best teenage drivers I have known were kids who grew up learning to drive their family tractors around the farm from around 12 or sometimes younger. While the rest of us all got into accidents, (thankfully none of them fatal to my knowledge) those were the kids who were reliable and safe drivers. They had the skills built in over years of safe practice, being supervised by responsible adults. They didn’t take risks to show off, they were able to keep their heads in all situations and didn’t panic and forget everything the first time with a licensed instructor. I saw them all ace their drivers tests quickly and move on with confidence.
I believe if we lowered the minimum age to get learner’s permits to 14 or better, even 13, it would give students an enhanced learning period to instill the skills needed to drive safely while under supervision. This would especially be valuable societally where so many people drive for work.