The Importance of Drivers ed

If there were
something we as a community could do to limit unnecessary deaths,
especially that of our youth, wouldn’t we do it? As high school
students age and develop their autonomy they soon obtain the urge to
temporarily leave the nest in the form of driving whether to visit
friends, travel to school, or go to their first jobs. That is why it
is imperative for us parents or older adults to advocate for drivers
education amongst not only teenage drivers, but new drivers of all
ages. Drivers ed is important for beginning drivers because it
not only teaches the rules and laws of the land but it gives
experienced drivers the opportunity to impart their own knowledge and
experiences onto the newcomers. Things such as driving while sleepy
can be just as dangerous if not worse than driving while drunk.
According to the Journal of Accident Analysis and Prevention, 75% of
teenage drivers who did not obtain a drivers ed were more
likely to receive a ticket for traffic violation, 24% to be involved
in a fatality or injury, and 16% more likely to have an accident.
With fatalities from car accidents reaching higher than soldiers in
war, and with drivers ed proven to lower those risks, it is
very important that teens interested in driving obtain this
education.

Steps that can
be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are
advocating for state funded drivers ed for new drivers,
setting regulations in the form of curfews for teen drivers, and
creating mandatory MADD classes for new drivers whether on line or in
person to really push for sobriety while driving since a leading
cause of accidents are related to intoxication. Another step we can
take is to avoid phone use even in the form of Bluetooth as it can
act as a distraction and even things we take for granted such as
changing a song or checking a text message could lead to someone’s
death including our own. Lastly, we can teach to drive defensively
and anticipate the actions of other drivers but also teach what to do
when we get in an accident because the first time can be scary.

In my own life,
I have been in 3 driving related accidents. The first time I was 19
years old and had been driving already for 3 years without any
accidents prior, probably because I did take drivers ed in
high school. What happened during that moment was that I was on my
way to work early in the morning and the sunlight was shining so
bright on my eyes that I could not see that ahead of me some cars
were stopped at a red light. I ended up rear-ending the car in front
of me because of the sunlight. The second time I was rear ended by
someone who hadn’t been driving a safe distance away from my own
vehicle and when traffic came to a sudden stop they ended up hitting
my rear. The third time I was driving in a residential neighborhood
when a driver did not look both ways and decided to make a left turn
while I had been going straight and she ended up crashing onto the
right side of my car damaging all doors on that side. In retrospect I
believe she did not have proper capacity to drive because she was
going through a family drama that provided a lot of mental
distraction for her self and she did not see me. None of these
accidents however, compare to the accident my mother was involved in
when she was hit from the rear by a truck 2 sizes that of her car
while she was at a complete stop. The driver had dozed off and hit my
mother’s car late in the evening and she was actually sent to the
ICU and her car had been totaled with the back compressed like a
crushed aluminum can. That is why it is very important to pull over
or get a ride share vehicle if you are feeling drowsy or incapable of
driving even if for just a moment. This can be the case after long
distance drives or after a late shift at work. All of these accidents
could have been avoided had the proper steps been taken.

Something I personally can do to become a safer driver is to
limit distractions in my own car. Even though I do have Bluetooth for
phone calls, I should put my phone on silent and wait to take phone
calls at a more appropriate time. I can also start leaving my house
earlier before going to work or school so that I do not feel
pressured to speed to make it on time. Lastly, I can continue
learning and being aware of my surroundings.