Driver’s Education Importance

Driver’s education is important because it teaches drivers the basic rules of the road. Most people learn the natural rules of the road the more they drive, however, driver’s ed helps to teach the meaning of certain street signs and traffic rules. Involving drivers in driver’s ed allows them to learn how to work four-way-stops and what hand signals to look for when a car’s blinkers are out. These are things that drivers must know before getting on the road. New drivers tend to ignore traffic signs and highway directions when they first start driving, instilling the little bits of knowledge of only being allowed to go fifteen miles in a school zone and having to stop and pull over when you see a cop car with lights; but only if there is no median, are basic rules that if new drivers do not already know can lead to fatal accidents. About 20,000 car accidents occur in a day in the U.S.7,000 of those accidents are caused by new drivers and 3,700 of those accidents result in death. Implementing stricter driving tests and in person permit tests are ways to reduce the number of driving related deaths. By requiring that all permit tests are done in person at the DMV takes away the ability to cheat using the internet or other already experienced driving friends. This would require that all permit testers are to rightfully study and pass the test. A new restriction like this would encourage young drivers to get more serious about their driving and road education.

As someone who started as a new driver their sophomore year, I was always terrified of the road and the people on it. My fear of being not only behind the wheel but inside a car did not start until my second almost fatal car accident. The first car crash I had ever been in was when I was in the first grade. At the time, both my parents worked full time and me and my sibling were babysat by our older cousin. That day, we were on our way to get lunch but his car was too small to fit all of us children in the back, resulting in me sitting in the front passenger seat. I can not remember the exact events of the accident, but I do know that my cousin was distracted for a second before our car rear ended the truck in front of us. Obviously, this crash caused the airbags to release and that was when my hearing became almost non existent in my right ear. When the collision happened, I was turned, facing the back seat while talking to my siblings, so when the airbags came out, it only hit the right side of my face. Excluding the ringing in my right ear, I felt fine; a bit shaken up, but I was sure I felt fine. That was until my siblings and older cousin started to ask if I was okay or if I was in pain. It was not until the fire department came, and a nice young woman came up to me to check if I was fine and gave me a mirror to let me see what everyone could see but me. At that moment, all the pain that I was numb to came rushing in full waves. My face was busted on the right side, I had a black eye with a busted lip and my skin was cracked with bleeding cuts from the right side of my forehead to the right side of my chin. Fortunately, my face never scarred and my older cousin was able to save up to buy a newer and better car.

Surprisingly, that was not the accident that started my road anxiety. The second car accident; the one that spurred my fear of the road, happened my freshman year. It was late at night, after me and my older sister’s marching band practice. Due to the fact practice ended at nine, my sister and I would always stop at the gas station for some quick food having already known that dinner had been put away. It was a routine that we did twice a week, without fail or interruption. That was until, one night when we were pulling out of the gas station parking lot. A truck had run the red light, not wanting to slow for the yellow and ended up t-boning us. This car accident was traumatic for many reasons; for one, I was the one who had to call the police and my parents because my older sister, who was a senior at the time, was too shaken up. Second, I was the one in the back seat where the car mainly hit because we were trying to take someone else home and we let that person sit in the front passenger seat. After climbing out the broken window due to the door not being able to open, I was able to sit and reflect on the events that just took place.

I realized that you can never trust that other people are going to follow the road rules. I learned that the slightest distraction can cause the biggest accident, and I learned that human errors on the road are one of the most dangerous causes for car accidents. Which is why there are steps that should be taken to reduce the amount of human errors on the road. Being mindful of the cars and drivers around you is a way to be a good driver, but being mindful of yourself and your own driving is how you can be a better driver. A major rule for drivers to remember, especially drivers in Arizona where I am from, is that driving aggressively will only result in injury. It is easy for drivers to get emotional behind the wheel, which causes road accidents from people trying to pass, break check, or side swipe other vehicles that they are angry or frustrated at. Driving behind the wheel of a vehicle is mainly a mental thing, people must be attentive and react fast to other vehicles on the road. That is why teaching young drivers about the rules and safety of driving is important, the sooner they learn to value their lives and others while on the road, the quicker car accidents and related fatalities or injuries will reduce.