When I first got my driver's license, it was a breathtaking achievement in my life, it opened a new door of exploration and travel. It was the bridge that connected me to work, home, school, and anywhere else I needed to be. But having a license is also a responsibility that you cannot ignore. In my opinion, driver education is essential to keeping our roads safe.
The importance of driver education should be a top priority in reducing the number of deaths from vehicle accidents. The reason why we need driver education is to provide people with an understanding of basic road laws and how to prevent or avoid any mishaps. If we do a quick Google search and look at the facts, there are an average of over six million car accidents in the U.S. every year, which also leads to about 38,000 lives lost in accidents each year. Road crashes and accidents are the leading cause of death in the United States, so how can we solve this?
One solution would be putting stricter requirements needed to obtain a driver’s license. Most common reason why crashes occur is because of driver error, such as distracted driving. For example, providing more real-world practice and driving with an instructor to fully envelop a person to further enhance their knowledge on road/street laws. Especially for new learners, since they are still very young and inexperienced, they have a higher chance in being involved in an accident. I believe that these lessons with a professional instructor is the most effective way to improve overall driver skills and help prevent road accidents.
Along with the extended practice times with a driving instructor, I think you should keep track on the amount of time/hours you have been driving, especially as a learner. The reason I say this, is because in the aviation industry, you must have a log book to keep track of your hours, so you know when you’re able take a final test/exam or a checkride with an instructor. I think a concept like this would be very effective for learner drivers because tracking the amount of hours you have is the reason why planes in aviation have become one of the safest ways to travel, so therefore adding a process to monitor the time of a learner, can tell an instructor or teacher whether they are experienced enough to drive on the public road.
Another step that can be taken to improve driver quality is taking a course to fully understand the basics of vehicles. It may not seem like an important skill to know, but I believe understanding the fundamental components and features of your vehicle can not only help an individual know how to safely operate a vehicle but also keep/maintain it in a safe driving manner to prevent any accidents on the road.
In my experience, I have never been in a car accident, but I do have a friend who recently has been in one. He was not driving irresponsibly, but he was a victim of someone who was driving irresponsibly. This driver was speeding and ran a red light at an intersection and T-boned my friend at the intersection, completely totaling his car. He was safe, but still had to be administered to the hospital and physical therapy after the incident. From his side of the story, this accident not only affected him but every individual around him, including me. I like to think about this story for people who drive irresponsibly such as speeding or texting while driving, because for me I not only do I want to keep myself safe, but for others around me sharing the road.
A step I can take to become a better driver on the road is to stay consistent. This applies to other drivers as well, because consistent, safe driving will help keep the roads safe not only for you, but others around you. Decision-making is another step to improve driver quality. We are humans however so we are not completely perfect, somedays you might be tired or drowsy, or running late for work but being able to make the right decision such as getting proper rest before a long drive or choosing to be late for work rather than speed through traffic are the small choices that will make our roads safer.
In conclusion, driver education, in my opinion, is single handely the most important factor to keeping our roads safe. It provides us essential learning skills to be responsible drivers. Learning from other personal experiences helps me be aware of of irresponsible driving habits, and I am committed to sharing that awareness with others. I believe that everyone can partake in helping secure the safety of our roads and prevent any further trageties.