Drivers ed Is a Necessity

Alexander
Beville

Drivers
Education Is a Necessity 

The day my
mom took me to the DMV was one of the most exciting yet stressful
days of my life. After I passed my test and was given my temporary
license, I was astonished at how easy it was for a sixteen year old
kid to get his license since Missouri doesn’t require drivers ed.
Looking at it now I have a serious problem with allowing kids to get
their licenses without being properly educated in a classroom
setting. Not requiring kids to take drivers ed is deeply concerning
because kids don’t learn the rules of the road as in depth as they
should, which only leads to more accidents and unfortunately deaths.
Both of my parents have had to be taken to hospitals in a span of
four years as a result of teenage drivers not being cautious. Both of
parents’ cars were obviously totaled on site and luckily, they were
both alone when their accidents occurred. My dad was almost hit head
on by a kid who said he fell asleep behind the wheel but luckily, he
was able to swerve at the last second to avoid more serious injuries.
My mom was on the highway in traffic when a girl wasn’t paying
attention and slammed into her causing my mom constant neck problems
that she’s had now for two years. Seeing my parents lay in a
hospital bed not only terrified me but also angered me especially
after I found out neither of the people that hit them apologized.
I’ve been in one accident that wasn’t my fault and I was able to
see it coming. On the highway a pickup truck hauling a trailer cut
someone off about four cars in front of me and everyone was able to
react and brake in time to prevent an accident except the guy looking
down at his phone behind me. Fortunately, the guy swerved and only
clipped the side of my back bumper causing minimal damage. High
schools in our country need to add a drivers ed class to their
curriculums for everyone to take and it should affect students’
GPAs to ensure that they take the class seriously and not as a joke.
This will hopefully help kids better understand the rules and laws of
driving so they’re more prepared for when then start driving on
their own. I also believe cell phone use behind the wheel should be
illegal in all states to ensure that people are worried about the
road and not a text message or Snapchat that they’ve received. Most
people have used their phones at some point when they’ve been in
control of a car, but after I was hit it served as a wakeup call and
I stopped using my phone when I drive. I came to the realization that
anything can happen in the matter of seconds and my life isn’t
worth losing over a text message. By taking these steps as a society
we will help future generations become more prepared for when they
start driving and the number of deaths will decrease as a result.