The Need for Better Driver Education

For many, getting their license is one of the most incredibly freeing moments of their lives. Many new drivers believe that they’re ready to hop behind the wheel immediately, often scoffing at the idea of drivers ed classes, but it is this attitude that can result in an accident. One of the most important things to do as a responsible driver is to keep your eyes on the road. Often, however, these new drivers are using their phones, messing around with friends, or are just not paying enough attention in general while they drive. Even looking towards their phones for a second, to change the song playing, for example, results in a lapse in attention that can lead to an accident. In fact, for teen drivers, the leading cause of death in the country is a motor accident. Drivers ed must focus on making sure that the driver always keeps their eyes on the road, and to make this a habit. Educating drivers about the risk of accidents and to keep their eyes on the road is a key part of reducing the number of deaths caused by driving.

I have been in two accidents. These could have both been avoided rather easily if I had been paying enough attention to what was going on around me. In the first accident, I was on my way to school in the morning and was approaching an intersection behind a couple of other cars. I didn’t realize that the light had turned red until it was too late because I was glancing at a notification on my phone. By the time I looked up, even though it had only taken a second or two, the cars in front of me had stopped and I didn’t have enough time to break fully, causing me to rear-end the car in front of me. It was my carelessness and overconfidence in these situations that caused me to crash. I have learned from these mistakes, however, and now whenever I drive I make sure to put my phone away somewhere I can’t see it unless absolutely necessary. Even if I’m using a maps application, I make sure to turn off notifications.

It is important to understand that even if you’re a good driver, you still must pay just as much attention while behind the wheel to ensure that you don’t cause or get into an accident. It is also important to teach people that there is almost nothing that is too important to wait until you’re done driving. Phone calls can be missed, but a life can’t be replaced. This is not limited to phone calls, however. Drivers must be sure they don’t get distracted by things that they’re passing as they drive, as these can also serve as major distractions. The key takeaway here is to be safe and to teach others to do the same by paying attention to the road around them as they drive.