What if the most dangerous part of a students day wasn’t in the classroom, but the drive home? Every day, eight teenagers in the U.S. die in car crashes. This translates to over 2,000 teenagers lost annually. As somebody who has lost a loved one due to a car accident, I have realized just how quickly life can be flipped upside down with something as simple as one small mistake. Teen driver safety is a serious issue, and drivers education plays a key role in preparing young drivers to make smart, life-saving decisions while driving.

The most common age demographic of people who are involved in a car accident, is teenagers. The reason being is largely due to their lack of experience behind the wheel. According to the CDC, car accidents are the second leading cause of death, and driver inexperience is the leading cause of teen motor vehicle accidents. Many of these accidents are preventable, but due to their lack of experience it can result in a catastrophic ending. There can be many negative outcomes in a situation due to their inexperience whether it’s from poor judgement, lack of focus, distractions or not fully understanding the rules of the road and how to respond in certain situations. Without the proper education, young drivers may not yet be equipped to recognize or respond to the risks they face in unfamiliar situations and how to avoid them. Learning how to drive is more than just memorizing traffic signs and reading about the “Rules Of the Road.” It is applying those rules to real life situations and developing safe habits to ensure not only your own safety, but the safety of others on the road.

Driver’s education plays a vital role in shaping the younger generations into competent and capable drivers behind the wheel. By participating in both classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training, teens absorb the knowledge to form essential skills to avoid distractions, how to handle emergencies, and defensive driving. Teenagers are faced with new peer pressures and experiences everyday, but with a strong driver’s education program they will learn the dangers behind impaired driving and the consequences of taking risks behind the wheel. Education goes beyond just learning technical skills. Teenagers are still learning essential life skills such as responsibility and decision making, and are still developing into capable members of society. Proper driver’s education will recognize this and focus on exercises and lessons that help build confidence in young drivers to better equip them for real life experiences. Watching crash reenactments and participating in role-playing exercises will expose teenagers to real-life situations to hopefully build their confidence and allow them to be better equipped to handle unfamiliar situations on the road. If education is encouraged and supported through continuous practice then it will build more confident and prepared drivers. Becoming a capable driver is not just knowing the rules of the road. It is about taking that knowledge and then learning how to think ahead, staying focused regardless of common distractions, and to make confident and safe decisions to protect not just the driver, but everyone around them.

For me, teen driver safety and education aren’t just important, they’re personal. A little over 5 years ago, my grandmother was involved in a terrible accident which resulted in a very tragic death. She was driving home, and her car was ultimately run over by a semi truck whose driver was distracted behind the wheel and was unaware of how to handle a situation. The semi truck driver was distracted by a tow truck and did not possess the knowledge of how to properly handle a lane change while someone was being towed. Due to his lack of knowledge and lack of focus, I lost somebody that I loved deeply. That moment flipped my entire world upside down and changed my entire perspective on driving. It showed me how even one second of distraction can lead to lifelong consequences and that lack of knowledge and the ability to make quick and smart decisions can have detrimental results- not only for the driver but for the people around them. While the driver in this case wasn’t a teen, the lesson still applies: education should emphasize the seriousness of staying focused at all times and that with continuous practice, the result will be a confident and capable driver. This experience is one of the reasons I feel so strongly about proper drivers education, especially for young people who are just beginning their journey behind the wheel. Driving is not just a convenience- it is a privilege. With being given this privilege, drivers need to truly understand the responsibility that comes with it. If drivers comprehended the weight of this responsibility, then tragedies like my grandma’s might be prevented. That is why education goes beyond the basics in the classroom- it can save lives.

Teen driver safety is a public safety issue that affects everyone on the road. With proper education, teens can learn not only the basics of driving, but how to make safe and responsible choices behind the wheel and in their own personal lives. It is important to understand the rules of the road, technical driving skills, as well as how to properly navigate unfamiliar situations and drivers education sets the foundation of this knowledge. My own family’s tragedy reminds me everyday what is at stake. That is why I believe so strongly that education goes beyond what is taught in the classroom, but from real life experiences. The more that we take young drivers' education seriously, the better we can prepare them for the future and the realities and dangers that revolve around driving. The more that we invest in our youth, the more lives we can protect.