Why is Driver Education Important?

 Educating all drivers, particularly young and inexperienced ones, is really critical in order to reduce the number of driving-related deaths that occur. Through the use of in-school drivers’ education classes (such as the one I took in my sophomore year in my physical education class), we can educate teenagers on the rules of the road and how to be a safer driver, as well as preparing them for their permit tests and behind-the-wheel tests. By receiving this information, we ensure that drivers know how to be a safer driver and that they understand the risks of unsafe practices like distracted driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

I have actually seen my family members driving irresponsibly before. Occasionally, one of my parents will speed up higher than the maximum speed limit in order to pass a car, drive through an intersection after the light has turned yellow, or change the song on their playlist while they drive. I really don’t like when they do this, and I always encourage them to obey the rules of the road and be an alert and safe driver!

While I have personally never been in a car crash, my aunt, uncle, and cousin got into one while they were driving to come visit us for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, none of them were hurt, but it was still really scary to hear about their crash - especially since it occurred because an unalert driver t-boned them at an intersection. Since they got in that crash, I’ve been really passionate about improving road safety and preventing as many crashes as possible, because I know firsthand that it’s really scary to hear about someone you love being in a car crash.

One great way that we already try to reduce the number of crashes that occur is by educating drivers through education courses that they can take online to learn the rules of the road and how to drive safely. I think that these could be improved, however, by making more people aware of their existence. Many drivers are unaware that they can and should learn more about safe versus unsafe driving, but I think that advertising these programs will reduce the number of driving-related deaths by making the population better drivers overall.

Another thing that could be done to promote safe driving is to have a more vigilant and larger police force. While our current force is amazing and does their best to handle all cases of unsafe driving, there are simply not enough of them to catch every driver who speeds, is drowsy or unfocused, or drives under the influence. I think that having a specialized force just for the task of stopping unsafe drivers would really encourage people to be safer on the road to avoid being caught and facing punishments like fees, license suspensions, and even jail time.

There are so many things that I could do to help myself and others be safe on the road! I just passed my permit test with a perfect score and am now learning to drive in a parking lot, so one thing that I could personally apply is to take it slow. I’m not a very good driver yet, so going on an actual road would be really dangerous because I’m not used to driving at all. I think that taking it slow and making sure that I’m applying safe driving habits before I drive anywhere with a lot of cars would be a really good idea, and would prevent me from making any mistakes that could potentially lead to a crash.

To help everyone become a safer driver, I would personally love to promote driver education programs, even for people who have held their licenses for a while. I think that everyone, including myself, needs refreshers of the rules of the road and safe driving practices sometimes, and I really think that more people should take these classes regularly to ensure that they’re still using safe driving habits. My recommendation would be to take an online course once every three to five years, or perhaps more frequently for people with impaired memory, old age, or newer drivers such as myself.

Overall, I think that driver education is super important, and that preventing crashes and driving safely should be everyone’s main focus when they’re on the road. Making sure that everyone knows the rules of the road and ensuring that those rules are actually enforced will help prevent driving-related deaths from being so frequent.