I can remember being 16 and wanting nothing more than to drive all of my friends around. I got my license in September, well before the majority of my friends could drive. There was a rule where you could not drive anyone but immediate family for the first 6 months, but I could never understand the importance of keeping with that rule. I’ll admit, I broke it a few times for short distances, but having gotten older and watching how some new drivers can be, it terrifies me to think they have a whole car full of people.
Drivers ed is extremely important in teaching the impact you have behind the wheel. Of course, it teaches the basics of learning how to drive, but it should educate students of their responsibility once being on the road with other drivers. Something that I believe is lacking from a lot of drivers ed courses is the explicit numbers of deaths and accidents caused by automobiles. I believe that students should be required to learn more about the history of accidents in order to pass their exam because in some ways it allows students to empathize and feel more inclined to practice safe driving. In addition to providing a history of data, all students must be required to spend at least four hours of driving with an official instructor or DMV employee. Many states still accept a driving log that can be signed off by your guardian, but there is no way to ensure that was completed other than trusting the ethical decision made by the participants. Personally, so much of my confidence in driving came from countless hours of driving, whether it was to and from the grocery store or driving through downtown Atlanta. While everyone doesn’t have the opportunity to pay for a drivers ed course through a private facility, I believe that it is the state’s responsibility to provide new drivers with the ability to drive with an employee to gain this experience.
At 17 years old, I was in a major accident on the highway. My friend was driving too fast after the roads were wet, and we spun out of control. I realized how easily you can harm yourself and those around you while operating such a large piece of machinery. At almost 23, I try to be extremely responsible when driving. I don’t text and drive, I minimize the distractions in my car, and I’m not afraid to be vocal in someone else’s car if they aren’t taking steps to be the most reliable. If everyone vows to take these minor decisions to stay safe, they can have a major impact on reducing the number of accidents caused each day.