The Importance of Driver Education

Many of my fondest memories of my high school experience involved road trips, attending drive-in movie theater shows, and listening to our favorite albums while cruising along the country roads. The common denominator of these activities: driving.

Ensuring the safety of drivers is of utmost importance. Educating drivers on safe practices on the road will empower them with the knowledge and to drive themselves, their friends, and their family in a safe manner. After graduating from a driver’s education course, many drivers are out on the highways and streets experiencing a new sense of freedom. In many instances, they are making rash decisions, unaware of the potential consequences. Often, many “unnecessary rules” are overlooked, such as fully stopping at stop signs, not yielding to pedestrians, and speeding through school zones, to name a few. This newfound freedom makes many teenagers and young drivers feel invincible, causing reckless driving. Seeing the devastating casualties of young drivers my age passing away from accidents caused by driving under the influence or texting while driving has instilled a sense of responsibility in me to drive safely. I value my life greatly and fear being involved in an accident and potentially harming myself and others due to my own negligence. Thus, I am committed to promoting safer driving practices for myself and others.

I do my part to encourage my peers to place their phones in the backseat so they aren’t tempted to use them while driving, and I have told them on multiple occasions that if they ever need a designated driver, I am here for them. Texting while driving and driving while under the influence is avoidable, given proper guidance and support from peers. Something I’ve noticed is that having peer-to-peer guidance is often more valuable than having a parent or teacher educating young drivers on safe driving since my friends feel as though they are being “lectured.” While driving with friends, I often see my friends checking their phones or sending a quick text leading to them swerving between lanes and do my part to step in. I hope that encouraging young drivers to step up to the plate to remind their peers about safe driving will make a difference. These small actions can have a significant impact on truly changing the attitudes and perceptions surrounding safe driving.

As a young driver myself, I see many incidents of unsafe driving practices on the road to and from school. Some offenses include: speeding through school zones, not entirely stopping at stop signs, and rear-ending other cars while pulling out of parking spots. I often wonder if there is supplemental instruction for young drivers to refresh the material they covered in driver’s education courses. Reviewing the content students covered in driver’s education courses may improve their understanding of the material and encourage young drivers to incorporate more safe-driving tactics on the road.

According to the NHTSA, in the United States during 2020, young drivers between the age of 15-20 account for 189,950 of people injured in car accidents and 1,885 of deaths. Having refresher courses for young drivers who have received tickets or been responsible for accidents may promote driver safety and serve to reduce the number of accidents in this age cohort.

As a high school student, I can advocate for safer driving practices in my community by leading interactive workshops and motivating students with small incentives. I plan to partner with local bakeries and ask for donations of a free half-dozen of donuts every six months of safe driving records for new drivers. I also want to introduce peer-to-peer programs to encourage every young driver to educate and promote at least two other drivers to incorporate safer driving practices on a regular basis. Launching a peer-to-peer program will help young drivers like myself hold each other accountable for safe behavior and allow us to be role models for one another.

Making a change in my community on the issue of unsafe driving will involve forging creative partnerships, and I am eager to take the lead on these initiatives. Additionally, I hope to draw attention to existing charitable organizations by hosting fundraisers for “The Accident Guys: Victims Fund,” which supports low-income victims who have been involved in car accidents. Elevating existing organizations and developing new community-wide initiatives will draw attention to the issue of unsafe driving and will hopefully promote safer driving practices.

We as a community need to come together to solve unsafe driving from various angles- whether that means having peers holding each other accountable, additional education, or community-wide efforts. If we can save even one life through these initiatives, it would all be worth the effort.