Drivers Education vs America’s Youth

Having the ability to drive instills freedom in America’s teenagers. They have the freedom to roam wherever the wind takes them, down the winding roads of the backcountry, to the city streets full of vitality. However, to what extent does living out the “American Teenage Dream” cost the lives of others on the road?

As America’s youth gets behind the wheel, it is crucial that driver education be administered to all new student drivers. Of course becoming a great and cautious driver entails a lot of experience in various situations. However, without learning the rules of the road by the book, getting to know the nature of other drivers around you through practice, and learning how to become a defensive driver step by step, our teenagers will not be courteous enough to consider the lives of others when they make decisions behind the wheel. In order to obey the laws, teenagers must know the rules of the road which they have to follow. They must identify what each sign tells them to do and analyze the behaviors of other drivers and act accordingly. These rules are implemented to save lives. To convey the importance of following these rules, we must educate them on what to do and what not to do when they don’t follow such laws or others don’t follow such laws.

One step that can be taken in order to reduce the amount of deaths on the road is to increase the number of hours that drivers education programs require of their students. The broad umbrella of the designated hours of driving has its limitations. It is plausible that one student can attain all of their hours driving on back country roads where no other cars pass. Additionally, it is very easy for students to lie about the amount of hours that they put in. To combat these predicaments, instead of recording the amount of hours that a student has driven under super vision, they should record the number of miles they have driven. Furthermore, when students go to record the amount of miles that they have completed, they should take a picture of their odometer showing proof that they actually drove the required distance.

Additionally, on the sheet that first time drivers must fill out in order to pass the drivers education course, there should not only be a requirement for a certain amount of daytime and nighttime driving miles, but students should record the number of miles they have driven on city streets, highways, regular two lane roads, etc.

Throughout my childhood, I have been exposed to intoxicated driving, which is a poor habit to display to our youth. These habits were displayed to me by my cousin. He would leave beer cans in the doors, you could smell the alcohol all over him, but he still insisted on driving us claiming that he was used to it and that he has done it many times before. One time specifically, he hit someone in a Target parking lot. Since the alcohol in his system slowed his reaction time, he didn’t hit the brakes fast enough as he was pulling out of his parking spot. When he told us the story, he said he had been drinking and had hid his beer cans in the trunk so that no one would find them. The car that he was driving was completely totaled. However, with his luck nobody in either car was hurt, but I think that the accident could have been prevented if he was in the right state and his mind was not clogged with alcohol.

One thing that will help me be a better and safer driver is to look out for others on the road and take my time getting to my desired destinations. Looking out for others and being a defensive driver will allow me to plan my actions ahead of time and let the situation dictate them. For example, if there is a driver that is cutting through the lanes of traffic, I know that I should keep my distance from them and be mindful of how he is affecting other drivers on the highway. This type of driving behavior is also safer for others because I will not only keep a 3 second distance between other drivers to allow for increased reaction time, but will allow me to assess the situation and make the right maneuvers to avoid getting in a wreck. Furthermore, taking my time to get to my desired destinations will allow me to make more confident decisions on how to maneuver around dangerous drivers, knowing that I am not racing against the clock. Driving with risky behavior because I want to get somewhere as fast as possible is not worth my life. Additionally, planning out my route ahead of time will allow me to anticipate stops along the way, which in turn I will anticipate the driving decisions that I will need to make, turning me into a more cautious and courteous driver.

So when it comes to the freedom that we give our American teenagers, we must teach them how to use it for the good of others. They are growing into adults who have the potential to kill someone if they are not careful enough on the roads. We must educate them on safe driving practices.