Importance of Driver Education

Driving safely is one of the most important things a teenager can do. Most teenagers in the U.S. get their licenses at the age of 16, and have that for the rest of their lives. Only thirty-two states require new drivers to go through a class called “Drivers Ed.” before even getting their license. There are drivers from eighteen states who might not even know the differences between the school crossing sign and the school zone sign, and those are very vital differences that could save a life, either their’s or a pedestrian’s.

Drivers Education is absolutely crucial in reducing the number of deaths driving causes because it makes the driver aware of all of the risks of driving itself. Drivers Ed teaches about the dangers of over-correcting and how it can cause you to end up in the ditch on the other side of the road. It also teaches about how to avoid hydroplaning, and to slow down if there is an animal in the road, rather than swerving out of the way. This system keeps drivers aware of how to prevent multiple casualties in a situation that should have caused none. Not only that, but this system teaches new drivers how to correct in case of emergencies, such as accidentally running off of the road, or even possibly a car on their side of the road.

One way to significantly reduce the number of deaths on the road is to educate the general public of the dangers of driving. This goes beyond teaching the children in the classroom, or the test you have to take in order to get your learners permit. It means additional education or longer drivers education when or before you get your license, and possibly even more classes and tests to keep your license. While that may seem repetitive or tedious to some, this would reinforce the knowledge that people might forget if they only take the class once.

Thirty-two states require a driver’s education class in high school, and while the other eighteen may not, clubs such as YOVASO (Youth of Virginia Speak Out) in Virginia keep students aware of the dangers of driving. These such classes should be more readily available to the general public, and advocated for more to encourage safer driving in everyone, not just students.

Another way to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is to enforce stricter rules on phones in the car. There are no states that have a total ban of using the phone while in the car, and that creates yet another problem. Distracted driving is a large issue, and causes many deaths. Having the phone creates the distraction, and therefore creates the danger. If there were stricter rules around the phone in the car, this would prevent the danger and save lives. Some steps have already been taken; such as in Virginia, it is illegal to hold a cell phone in any matter while driving, but you can use Bluetooth to speak on the phone while driving as long as it is not in your hands.

Expanding on that, there are still some issues with newer technology coming out and the ability to control your phone through a tablet-like device installed in the place of your radio. Not only does this create a large light, especially at night, it also creates the opportunity for distraction once again. This was less of an issue when all you could do from the screen was switch the radio station, or skip a song if your phone was connected to the car. It is a much bigger problem now as the driver can not only go from the radio to bluetooth, many can navigate around apps installed on their phone, texting via voice, searching for places on their navigation app, and report accidents on applications, or apps, like Waze. This causes an issue because the driver is no longer focused solely on the road, instead, they are trying to essentially navigate their phone, creating the distracted driving issue once again.

Something else to prevent the rising death toll of driving is restricting those who just recently got their license. These people have little to no driving experience, yet are still allowed free reign on the road, the same as other drivers who have been driving for decades. There is a stark difference between the knowledge of life experience of the older drivers and the book knowledge of the younger drivers. While there are some restrictions on younger drivers, like restricting the amount of passengers you can have in your vehicle, or, in Virginia, the curfew from midnight to four A.M. These restrictions help reduce the risk sometimes, but the passenger restriction does not count for siblings, leaving drivers with bigger families the opportunity to drive around multiple people, even though this is very risky for these newer drivers.

This last point is something that I hold fairly close and personal, as I have gotten into an accident. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the only damage was a bent bumper on my vehicle, and some damage on the other vehicle. It was around five in the afternoon, and I had my twin and another passenger, a friend of mine with us. We had gone to get coffee and some gas before practice, and were headed back to the school. My friend and my twin were talking to each other, and while I sometimes drive with my twin, I am not used to having two other people in the car, even though it was legal because siblings do not count towards the one person rule. I had stopped at a red light, and turned right because it was clear. The woman was turning left from across the intersection, and we ended up colliding, with her hood getting under my bumper. The accident was ruled my fault, and since then, I have not driven with an additional person if I have my twin with me. While what I was doing was legal, having that other person in the car and hearing the conversation going on in the background distracted me enough to cause me to be unable to prevent that accident. I did not have my phone in my hand, in fact, my passenger had it, and the music was not very loud, because they were talking, but even then I was distracted. There are still definitely the risks of driving with one passenger, let alone two.

I definitely believe that because I have not driven with another passenger, I have become more aware about driving with one passenger, and hopefully in the future I will be able to drive with another passenger. Another way that I can become a better driver is by turning my music down, especially at night. This will help me keep aware of my surroundings, and stay more vigilant when there could be more dangers, especially on the country roads that I normally drive.

Driving, while some people may not realize it, is actually very dangerous if not done right. There are many preventative measures to keep it from being unsafe, but when those measures are not taken, they do more harm than good.