Being Safer on the Road: What the Data Tell Us

More than 38,000 deaths a year. 4.4 million serious injuries. 12.4 deaths for every 100,000 people¹. These are the worrying statistics that define the crisis that plagues citizens on the road today. What is even more troubling, however, is that these statistics do not only include drivers, but also pedestrians, passengers, and people under the age of 16.

These data emphasize the importance of drivers ed. By making courses more accessible, focusing on passenger and pedestrian safety, and addressing misconceptions that drivers have, drivers ed can be a vital tool for combatting fatalities on the road.

The prevalence of online driving courses has made drivers ed more accessible to those who need it, but courses are still limiting in that they are generally expensive and not available to people without much disposable income². For this reason, we must take steps to make drivers ed more accessible to everyone. As a start, we can integrate a course in public schools that is dedicated solely to teaching students about road safety. This class would effectively make knowledge about road safety more prevalent amongst our youth. We must also take steps to educate people about pedestrian and passenger safety. Placing a focus on these subjects in the aforementioned public school course is an essential first step to achieving this goal. In this class, students would learn the importance of not distracting drivers while acting as a passenger, techniques for avoiding irresponsible drivers when crossing roads, among other things. These solutions, at a glance, may seem costly; however, when considering that accidents on the road cost citizens $871 billion annually¹, I think that investing more money into educating drivers will be cost-effective in the long run.

These classes should also address many of the misconceptions drivers have about road safety. I have had firsthand experience with irresponsible driving habits when carpooling with my friends. Many of them think that the goal of driving is to “get to the destination alive” without any considerations of safety. Furthermore, many of my friends think that texting while driving is an acceptable habit and have done so while I was in a vehicle with them. It is integral that classes address these issues because it’s not just my friends that foster these misconceptions: in 2018, distracted driving killed 2,841 people³.

Indeed, drivers ed is not the only thing that plays a part in reducing road deaths; all drivers need to undertake a hefty amount of personal responsibility. For me and those around me to become better drivers, we must all work to learn about and address our irresponsible driving habits and misconceptions. We can do so by staying informed about the causes of road deaths and engaging in discussions about road safety with those around us. We also have a responsibility to speak out against the irresponsible practices of others. The next time I am carpooling with my friends, I will ensure I speak out against their misconstrued mentalities and road habits.

Sources:

¹https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/#:~:text=More%20than%2038%2C000%20people%20die,for%20people%20aged%201%2D54

²https://psmag.com/economics/why-poor-people-and-poc-dont-take-drivers-ed

³https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving