Providing Safe Driving Habits Might Make the Roads Safer for Everyone

Drivers ed Initiative – Providing Safe Driving Habits Might Make the Roads Safer for Everyone

My name is Noah Niklas Wind and I am an international student majoring in chemical engineering at San Jose State University. When I first got a chance to obtain a driver’s license at the age of 16, I grasped the opportunity to learn how to ride a motorcycle at my dad’s driving school. In my home country Germany, it is mandatory for any person that wants to obtain a driver license to go through a driving school regardless of age. There are mandatory theoretical and practical parts to the courses which focus on safety guidelines and becoming a responsible driver. Because I had the privilege of being a driving instructor’s son, I seized the chance of obtaining every driver’s license I was eligible for which showed me the importance of the material discussed through reinforcement. It led me to believe that explaining the potential risks of driving to new drivers and introducing them to safe vehicle operation practices like storing heavy materials in a non-hazardous way and keeping condition-based safety distance to other vehicles is of uttermost importance to ensure a safe driving environment for everyone. Teaching basic knowledge like this to potential drivers might prevent dangerous and maybe even life-threatening situations.
On my birthday four years ago, my friend was driving me home after a dinner. It had been raining and she had just recently obtained her driver license. She wasn’t aware of the dangers of taking sharp turns in slippery conditions and when we merged onto the highway on-ramp she lost control of her car and we crashed into the barriers on the side of the road. While she was barely hurt, I had injured my shoulder from the crash which left me in pain for a few weeks. While we were both very lucky, I believe if she had been taught that you are not supposed to harshly steer while you are slipping on water, she could’ve prevented the accident entirely.
While I think that attending a driving school is hardly enforceable for every applicant who wants to obtain a driver license, I believe that there are other ways to teach safer driving habits. By running ad campaigns online, on the television, and on the radio and subsidizing optional courses that stress the importance of safe driving and making them accessible for every applicant of a driver license, I believe that safer driving habits can be conveyed to the public and make the roads safer for everyone.