Driving Towards Safety: A Collective Responsibility to Reduce Fatalities on the Road

The number of deaths from driving related accidents in the United States is far too high. As a young driver myself I was shocked to find the levels of vehicle fatalities even just in my area to be so staggeringly high. As someone who read my state driver’s manual, drove more than my mandatory driving hours and had knowledgeable adults with me all the way I can attest that driver education plays a crucial role in reducing the number of accidents and thus deaths that are a result of driving. Driver education programs teach young drivers how to handle a car safely, navigate the road, and crucially understand traffic laws. These programs also help us develop defensive driving skills which I’ve learned from experience can play a huge role in preventing accidents. By teaching drivers these vital skills and knowledge we can certainly reduce the far too high number of deaths that result from driving in the United States.

Although state guidance when It comes to driver education is vital, support from role models and guardian figures in the students life is just as important in teaching, enforcing, and holding young drivers accountable to standards on the road. Firstly, guardians and role models must model safe driving behavior themselves. This includes wearing a seatbelt, obeying traffic laws, avoiding distractions while driving, and not driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Leading by example is one of the most powerful ways to influence a young person positively. Guardians and role models are also crucial in holding students accountable when it comes to completing the required driving hours and reading the driver’s manual. This requires clear expectations, regular check-ins, incentives, tracking systems, and consequences for non-compliance. By using these strategies, guardians and role models can help ensure that young drivers are prepared and responsible behind the wheel.

But, how can we ensure that guardians can or will act in this manner? I believe that first, we must involve guardians in the process of educating young drivers more. This could be having a conversation with the guardian and driver, having the guardian certify the driver’s work, or by providing the guardian with materials to help guide them in teaching their driver. Not only would this improve the drivers at home learning and support, but also might improve the older guardian driver’s knowledge by touching up on the subject matter. Ensuring those teaching young drivers are still responsibly, safely, and knowledgeable driving is key to passing on positive driving to the next generation. Thus, promoting educational reminders and materials to older drivers would greatly help safety on the road not only for future learning generations but also for current drivers. By involving role models and guardians of young drivers as a part of the learning process as well as promoting education to these drivers one more we can improve safety on the roads and the quality of driving education itself.

I am so passionate about this because I had responsible, positive parents and driving role models who taught me to be a defensive and responsible driver. It’s because of them that I’ve never been in a major car accident which I’m so thankful for. However, I have been in some almost accidents, and from this and my own almost 2 years of driving experience I’ve learned you can never be too defensive and to stay level headed in the car. I live in a city so I encounter aggressive drivers almost constantly so I take time to observe everything around me before making rash or potentially dangerous decisions. It’s not always easy to do this though because aggressive drivers can be startling or sometimes just simply rude, so I’m mindful of not getting overly emotional or angry as it’s easy to get blinded by your emotions and make bad decisions on the road. Lastly, I try to be patient and helpful as a passenger driver when with others. It’s important to not distract or hinder the driver in any way and I try to be helpful by keeping a second eye on the road for the driver as well as assisting the driver with navigating so they don’t look at their phone. In conclusion, driver education along with the support of student drivers’ guardians is crucial in promoting safety and thus reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving. By promoting this education to all ages and enacting this knowledge while in the car we all can play a role in improving the well-being of our communities and country. Together, we can help reduce the number of deaths caused by reckless driving and create a safer driving environment for all.