Taking to Heart

     Imagine a car full of teenagers headed home from a concert. The car is filled with the sounds of laughter, crinkling snack wrappers, and ever-changing songs. For three miles, an Instagram post and the sedan’s running lights are the only illumination on the dark, tree-lined road. A new song begins, and the driver turns to the person riding shotgun; he wants to show how fast his new car can go, and an empty road is the perfect place to do it. His passenger gives the approval, and he hits the gas. As the car’s speedometer reads higher and higher numbers, the driver and his passengers are pushed back, everyone still cheering when a sharp bend appears ahead. The driver slams the brakes, spinning the wheel and skidding to a stop at the edge of the road. Except for music coming through the speaker, the car is silent. But that only lasts for about a minute before the playlist switches to a new song, the car picks up again,  and the experience is disregarded as another thrill. Close calls like that happen every day and the dangerous behaviors behind them are seen even more often. As a young driver, I have been lucky enough to not be directly exposed to terribly dangerous driving habits by family or friends regularly and have never been involved in any serious accident. But when driving, we have all seen hazardous habits displayed by other drivers on the road. In school, I have heard friends and other people talk of speeding and tailgating as if they are perfectly acceptable despite their risks. Over 11,000 people died in speeding-related crashes in 2024.1 Furthermore, in 2021, tailgating was a factor in 12% of “traffic deaths,” and it causes $100 billion in property damage and destruction every year.2 These, like other other consequences of risky driving, are hazardous but also completely avoidable by driving safely. Since its introduction, driver education has been one of the main defenses against car crashes and fatalities among young drivers, teaching techniques and tricks for safe driving. But education alone cannot eliminate driving fatalities among young drivers. Being an educated driver can teach young drivers how to keep everyone safe on the road, but learning safe and responsible driving techniques is only beneficial if put into practice.

     Driver education is important in reducing driving fatalities because it teaches new drivers about skills needed for car ownership and safe driving. Additionally, it has an advantage over on-the-road learning due to its detailed lessons and low risk. In driving education programs, students learn about the rules of the road, insurance plans, car ownership, car maintenance, risk-reducing strategies such as proper following distances and night driving protocol, etc.  Through such programs, beginners get the knowledge and responsibility to drive safely, so they can help keep others safe and reduce fatalities on the road. Driver education programs also help student drivers learn techniques they would not from their parents or a driving instructor. Parents may fail to follow or not know every traffic law. Often, they are weighed upon by stress during instruction, making them more prone to giving unclear or false information. Driving instructors, though more calm and thoroughly educated on road safety, often do not have the time to go in depth into every method for safe driving. A driver education course, on the other hand, does not have the risks or stress of behind-the-wheel driving while also providing the details of safe driving practices through many hours of lessons. Driver education in combination with supervised driving experience gives new drivers the skills to succeed on the road. 

     Driver education has become a popular method to help prevent fatalities among young drivers. In 2021, 32 states had a requirement for young drivers to complete a driver education program before they could get their license,3 and for good reason. The prevalence of driver education is based on the idea that “effective driver education” decreases driving fatalities among young drivers,4 and the statistics seem to show their effectiveness. In Alaska, Mississippi, and Missouri, three states that do not require driver education programs for young drivers, over 15% of traffic fatalities involved drivers 15 to 20 years old.3, 5 However, this information can be misleading. For example, in Hawaii, a state that requires driver education and behind-the-wheel driving,6 19.6% of traffic fatalities involved 15 to 20 year old drivers in 2024, the highest in the US.5 This  was well above Wyoming and West Virginia, both with no driver education requirement for young drivers.3, 5 Therefore, driver education can not be the only factor that goes into reducing traffic deaths. As a 2012 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration article concludes, “The expectation that driver education will lead to a decreased teen crash rate is unrealistic and beyond what current practice can be expected to achieve,”4 and this claim is still true today when young drivers ignore what they have learned in driver education.

     In spite of the road safety foundation provided by driver education, many young drivers fail to practice safe driving, leading to unnecessary injuries, damages, and deaths. In 2024,  motor vehicle accidents were the leading cause of death for teenagers, and young drivers ages 16 to 19 were over three times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than older drivers per driven mile.7 These statistics are a result of multiple factors such as low experience,8 but risky behaviors have worsened the amount of preventable fatalities. In 2020, 56% of drivers ages 16 to 19 killed in accidents were not wearing a seatbelt, and in the same year, 29% of 15-20 year olds killed in car accidents were drinking beforehand.8 Both seatbelt use and impaired driving are basic subjects when it comes to road safety, yet many teens decided against what they had learned and faced the consequences. Driver education is of no use if its lessons and warnings are not heeded, and many young drivers are not doing their part to change things.

     As young drivers, we can encourage safe driving techniques and create safer roadways by practicing what we have learned in driving education programs and discouraging dangerous driving. Many deaths, injuries, and damages could be prevented if young drivers simply drove as they had been taught. Not driving during bad weather or at dark as much as possible, not taking mind-altering substances, maintaining our vehicles, obeying traffic signs and signals, and practicing basic responsible driving techniques taught in driver education would all lower the saddening statistics that have altered thousands of  lives forever. Furthermore, if peers would not encourage dangerous driving such as by joking about irresponsible driving stories or criticizing those who follow traffic rules, young drivers would not be as confident to admit to hazardous driving or even drive dangerously at all. Shame can be a powerful disincentive. As described in a documentary on distracted driving, distracted driving does not come with as much shame as impaired driving; thus, people are more likely to see it as acceptable and continue to do it until the damage has already been done. The same applies to other hazardous driving practices that are considered okay. Young drivers and their peers can discourage dangerous driving by reacting to it according to its risk. Driving can be a perilous activity, and young drivers should treat it as such by doing their best to drive safely and encourage others to as well.

     The lessons and practices taught in driver education provide new drivers with the knowledge of safe driving they should use to keep everyone safe on the road. Driving education provides in-depth training that sets young drivers up for success. However, if new drivers do not practice what they have learned, the positive effects are nullified. Furthermore, encouragement of irresponsible driving from peers incites repeated risks. Driver education is important for teaching the skills and methods for safe and practical driving, but following the instructions in driver education is just as important. One cannot be effective without the other. Driving education is already a widespread practice, but we young drivers need to do our part for fatality rates to improve. We should learn the techniques, take them to heart, and reduce fatalities one drive at a time.

Sources

1. “Speeding.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Accessed 1 July 2026.

2. Santos, Emilia. “Tailgaiting Statistics.” Gitnux. Accessed 1 July 2026.

3. Tunnacliffe, Nigel. “What States Have No Drivers Ed?” Coastline Academy, 21 Sept. 2021. Accessed July 10, 2026.

4. “A Fresh Look at the State of Driver Education In America.” Traffic Tech: Technology Transfer Series, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Apr. 2012.

5. “Young Drivers.” Traffic Safety Facts: 2024 Data, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, July 2026. 

6. Tunnacliffe, Nigel. “How Long Does Drivers Ed Take?” Coastline Academy, 2 Aug. 2021. Accessed July 21, 2026.

7. “Fatality Facts 2024: Teenagers.” The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Accessed 21 July 2026.

8. “Risk Factors for Teen Drivers” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Aug. 2025. Accessed 16 July 2026.