The
Importance of Drivers ed
Bergen
Stockstad


As my grandpa prepares for a left turn, I brace myself. My heart
starts beating fast. My palms become sweaty. The hair on my neck
begins to stand up. My adrenaline spikes. He turns left as a car in
the oncoming lane of traffic continues down the road. The car
abruptly switches lanes, allowing my grandpa to complete a hasty,
unsafe turn that could have resulted in a dangerous accident.



My
grandpa grew up in a time period where drivers ed was
almost nonexistent. Kids didn’t ride in car seats, no one wore
seat belts, and children drove without a license or proper education
on a regular basis, working on the family farm or driving with their
friends. Today, life is different. The number of car accidents
continues to increase, as texting, drinking, and not wearing a
seatbelt while driving are common occurrences. The most impactful
way to stop these deaths is through drivers ed.



Driver’s
education is not readily available to all aspiring drivers, but by
creating more awareness for these courses, making them widely
available in high schools across America, and making practice
resources for future drivers available at a low cost, we can
significantly reduce the number of driving deaths in our country and
protect all drivers. As a driver myself, I have learned to always be
cautious on the road. I’ve learned to keep calm in stressful
situations, pay attention to my surroundings, and communicate to
others on the road what I am doing. It is everyone’s pet peeve
when someone doesn’t use a signal while switching lanes or drives
while distracted. As a driver I can encourage those I know that
drive to make smart decisions and ask for help when they need it, not
to drive drunk or text and drive. I can provide helpful tips to
other drivers and communicate my own intentions on the road
adequately to allow other people around me to drive safely. Without
drivers ed, I would not have learned the skills I use every
day, and I could not help others be responsible on the road. No one
wants to have the feeling I’ve had when I’ve driven with
irresponsible drivers like my grandpa, that anxious, uncertain
feeling. If everyone on the road has access to drivers ed
resources and practices safe driving skills, our country can reduce
its number of deaths related to driving.