In the United States of America there are over 100 daily deaths that are directly related to motor vehicle accidents. That is 100 families forevermore missing a member. That is 100 futures erased. That is 100 hearts that stop beating. Driver education matters because lives matter. Driver education matters now. Every day that goes by with uneducated people on the roads is another day that 100 lives are lost. When people die from car accidents there is likely little to know warning, no emotional or physical preparation that can be done. In an instance people cease to exist. There is no one in America that is immune to the possibility of this experience, therefore impactful action needs to be taken now. Driver education is imperative to reducing deaths caused by driving. This death toll is preventable with intensive education prior to receiving a license, routine checks on physical capacity to drive, and promotion of increased awareness of how common deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents occur.
Driving a car is a method of transportation, the use of a weapon, and a large responsibility. Being behind the wheel automatically implies a responsibility to drive with those within your vehicle and those around your vehicle in mind. Therefore, drive responsibly. As someone with a little brother, eight little cousins and a full life ahead I must trust everyone on the road to do their due diligence so that we are all able to get to our destinations safely. Driver education is imperative in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving for a variety of reasons. The first reason is that the National Highway Traffic Administration concludes after a study of 2,189,000 crashes that 94% of accidents are caused by human error. 33% of the human error was attributed to decision errors, stated to be driving improperly for the weather or road conditions, illegal maneuvers, and false assumptions other drivers actions. This information shows that lack of driver education is a large contributing factor to car accidents. Therefore, increases in drivers education could greatly reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving. This is because all of these causes of crashes are preventable with proper driver education.
Driver education can take many forms. One method of driver education is public service announcements. This would work by providing statistics and information about reckless driving, the importance of wearing seatbelts, and the dangers of speeding. This information can be broadcasted in traditional ways such as television ads and on highways. However, this information can reach a broader population by being broadcasted on social media platforms. These social medial platforms can include Tiktok and instagram. Whether educational videos are made, or just posting statistics using social media will allow safety information to be accessible to a larger population. In addition, this method of spreading information may pop up even when it is not being looked for. There are 2.4 billion active instagram users, and over 1 billion active Tiktok users.
I have not only been in multiple preventable accidents, but I have also observed them. 2 years ago while heading to soccer practice I witnessed an extremely bad accident. I had never experienced this before, and was unsure of what I needed to do. I immediately pulled over and called the cops. Both of the cars has extensive damage, and one had flown clear across the road. While one driver was immediately responsive, and talking the other hadn’t moved. I ran over to her car with only my CPR and first aid certification and pleaded for her to wake up. I couldn’t open her door to be able to provide aid, and thought I witnessed a death. My heart was pounding out of my chest, and I had never felt more helpless. Thankfully, the paramedics quickly arrived and were able to save her life. Not only will the two drivers' lives be forever changed, but so will mine and the other people who stopped to help. To this day I can’t drive on that road because of the fear something like that could happen to me. This accident was completely preventable, and was likely a result of failure to pay attention. This is one instance of many, where increased driver awareness and education could save lives. Lives can be altered even in the cases where a death doesn’t occur. They can suffer chronic pain, emotional and physical trauma.
In conclusion, driver education is imperative in saving lives. There are too many preventable deaths that occur as a result of motor vehicles, and every life matters. Take time to educate yourself and others on driver education, and never get behind the wheel impaired. The decisions you make affect everyone else on the road, so be sure to do your due diligence to not only protect yourself, but also those around you.