How Drivers Ed is Flawed

Receiving
your driver’s license is one of the greatest achievements. However,
the excitement of driving is ended about 34,000 times a year when an
uneducated driver causes an accident. Unfortunately, there are only
so many ways to enforce laws that already work in an effort to
decrease this death rate, however the ultimate way to succeed is not
given enough attention… drivers ed.

If
all drivers were truly educated on how to maneuver a car, crashes
would decrease significantly. The drivers ed required is so
subpar. As a teenager who earned her license just a few years ago, I
speak from firsthand experience that driver ed courses require
minimal effort to pass. Although the behind-the-wheel test is the
ultimate test, the six months of supervised experience does not
expose the driver to situations where fast and intelligent thinking
is necessary. This results in new drivers entering roads overly
confident in their driving compared to the knowledge they actually
possess. The necessary steps to reduce the death rate caused by car
accidents is a better, more extensive drivers ed and behind-the-wheel
test. The written test should not be multiple choice, for it allows
too much guessing and comfort room for a person who is about to have
control over a 2,000 pound weapon. As for the behind-the-wheel test,
driving on the freeway takes a lot more active thought even for an
experienced driver. A verbal simulation would be a very effective
addition to the test. It would provide a representation of the
driver’s knowledge and capability to think under pressure. Driver
education is very important, but the current curriculum new drivers
are presented with does not portray that importance.

About
a year into having my license when I was stopped at a red light I was
rear ended. I could swear the force I was hit with made my whole
bumper cave into my car. I never wanted to feel that fear again. The
accident resulted in me learning how to avoid a similar accident, and
be a better and safer driver. I never take my eyes off the road,
because when I look up I could either hit someone or hit my brakes
and potentially cause someone to hit me. I also always keep a safe
distance from the car in front of me, so that if I get rear ended, I
am far enough from hitting the car in front of me. The accident
resulted in a few dents and scratches, in other words: my bumper was
fine, but the force was strong enough to change how I would drive for
the rest of my life.

Unfortunately,
me getting hit is what it took for me to realize the power of driving
a car and the importance of being knowledgeable of that power. I hope
a change is made in the process of obtaining a driver’s license, so
next time a crash almost happens the driver knows exactly what to do
without having to learn from experience.