Driving Safer, Living Longer: The Imperative for Ongoing Driver Education

The importance of driver education in reducing the amount of people killed in car related accidents cannot be understated. It is very clear when looking at statistics or when hearing about how common traffic accidents are that driving is very dangerous and is unfortunately causing a lot of death. The only way to create safer roads is by creating safer drivers. This is why driver education is so important. Driver’s Ed has been shown to make new drivers better. A study from University of Nebraska – Lincoln found the following: “During their first year of driving, the group who took driver’s ed had significantly fewer accidents and traffic tickets than the group that logged driving hours without formal driving instruction.”(Newman) It has been proven that driver’s education is very effective in preventing car accidents and creating better drivers. This begs the question as to why we stop driver education as soon as one gets their license. It is clear that driver education creates safer drivers, which is why drivers of all ages and experience levels should be taking defensive driving courses and learning how to avoid dangerous situations on the road as much as possible.

When reducing the amount of car related deaths, there are a lot of obvious things that would drastically improve the issue. Simply avoiding texting and driving, drinking and driving, and driving when impaired in any way would reduce car related deaths. However, too many people hear these things but don’t actually follow this advice. However, they may be more inclined to listen to the advice if it came from a qualified driving instructor. This leads me to my proposal that not only should new drivers be required to take a defensive driving course to get their license, but all drivers should be required to take a defensive driving course every so often to keep their driver’s license. Not only would people likely listen to an instructor more on topics like distracted or impaired driving, but developing defensive driving skills is the number one way to be less likely to get in future car accidents. Thompson Law, an injury law firm deals firsthand with many car accidents and based on their expertise they preach the importance of defensive driving. “By practicing defensive driving, maintaining our vehicles, and demanding better of our communities, cities, and states, we should be able to reduce roadway fatalities and finally make good progress on our Road to Zero.” (“How to Reduce Car Accident Fatalities”)

I’ve personally had many firsthand experiences of reckless and dangerous driving. As a baby I was in a car crash when my aunt ran a red light. The crash put a big strain on my mom and aunt’s relationship. It has taken years for them to get over the accident and have a relationship similar to how it once was. Since I was young I don’t remember this, which makes it even crazier to think at how easy it is to get in an accident, injure those in the cars around you, or have a fatal crash. Reckless driving can cause psychological and emotional trauma on top of the physical damage it is capable of inflicting. People drive irresponsibly all the time. Especially new drivers succumb to peer pressure very easily and will drive recklessly to show off to their friends. In high school I remember seeing drag racing, driving 40 MPH over the speed limit, and friends jokingly cutting each other off. However, bad driving isn’t only an issue among teen drivers. I’ve seen my parents text and drive, and also seen people drive when they probably had too much to drink. I can vividly remember my family talking in the past admitting that they have become more aggressive drivers as time has gone on. Irresponsible driving is everywhere, and our society completely accepts irresponsible driving, making it an even greater issue.

It is easy to feel like creating a safer driving environment is an impossible, uphill battle. However, for every person that chooses to drive responsibly and defensively, the roads definitely become safer. I can do my part to become a better driver myself. I can do this by taking a defensive driving course and changing the way I drive to focus more on safety. It’s also important to tell the people around me to take defensive driving classes and remind them when I catch them getting distracted behind the wheel or doing something stupid. While it may sound silly, the roads would be safer and car related deaths would decrease if everyone were to drive as if everyone else was drunk.