Advancement of Driver Education

Advancement of Driver Education

The most common transportation method in the United States today is through automobiles, and for over a hundred years vehicles have been on the road helping people reach their desired destinations. Although driver licenses were introduced two decades after the introduction of the car to help ensure people are capable and safe of the roads and the tests have improved since then, the improvements are not enough to protect the people from needless misfortune. Millions of lives have been severely altered by injury and death due to the inadequate capabilities of drivers across the United States. Many people believe that the educational techniques given to driving students must be upgraded to ensure drivers have the proper knowledge of operating a motor vehicle. Others insists that the current curriculum and process of obtaining a license is fine as it stands and needs no improvement. Despite people trusting the current system of receiving a driver’s license, the benefits of enhancing the structure will provide less hindrances to the American people when driving on the road. The solution, states across the nation need to increase the difficulty to pass a driving test to ensure people are fully capable of operating a vehicle safely.

The problem is the number of car accidents in the nation are increasing every year causing life altering injuries and deaths in the nation due to the poor driving abilities in the United States. In 2016 alone there was a recorded 37,461 car accident related death alone, the year before 35,485 reported deaths and the numbers are continuing to rise (US Department of Transportation). Many of these accidents could have been avoided due to the fact the most common causes of accidents are distracted driving, speeding, and illegal vehicle actions. People do not want to be responsible for causing another person’s injury or death from simple avoidable driver’s competency of knowing how to operate a vehicle. Teen drivers are more likely to be in car accidents then most age groups due to lack of experience and not being completely prepared for driving on the road. To demonstrate, Sixty Five percent of teen drivers cause property damage (Christensen), and approximately 9,600 deaths per year are from the ages 15 to 20 from car accidents (association of safe international road travel). Clearly there is a serious problem of car accidents occurring each year and something must change to solve this problem affecting people across the nation every day. Serious permanent injuries and deaths have occurred every year and there needs to be a significant change in the way the United States operates the process of providing license to people to drive.

Although there is a clear problem with the current process of receiving a driver’s license, many people think that the current system is fine. A main argument for non-supporters is that the process has been established for many years and has worked so there is no need to change the system now. When in fact according to the U.S Department of Transportation there are millions of vehicle accidents, and the “… estimate of the annual economic cost of crashes is $242 billion dollars.” To explain, there is a substantial amount of car accidents each year which all can be avoided with establishing a new and improved teachings. Another reason non-supporters of an updated processes argue is that a new process that is more difficult can be too time consuming or cost too much money to do. In fact, the solution may take more time even more money, but it will be worth the investment. In the long run there would be less risk of people having accidents if they are better trained and do not make avoidable mistakes such as scrapping a car when pulling out of a parking spot. Possible from the enhanced process of getting a driver’s license insurance companies could lower the price of car insurance because there would be less of a risk to be in a car mishap. Although, some non-supporters disagree with a possible change to the receiving a driver’s licenses, the benefits that could arise from the improvement are greater.

The best solution to lower the number of motor vehicle accidents per year is by making a uniform advancement of the written and physical tests and requiring all people to take assessment to receive a driver’s license. To explain, when you are getting a permit or license a person must take a short-written test as well as pass a driving test with an instructor present. The current written test is said to be easy and obvious, but with the now upgraded test would be longer and more difficult so that people are fully aware of how to operate a vehicle as well as know all the rules and regulations of the road. Today, to pass the physical driving test, people must score thirty points or less to pass, but with the enhanced driving method people would have to receive twenty points or less to pass making sure that they can fully handle driving. All people who would want to receive a driver’s license in the United States must take this to drive. The improvements would be beneficial to many people as in lowering the risk of injuries and deaths caused by inadequate driving, which in turns saves people money. The uniform ideas of knowing how to drive will ensure that all people have that capability to properly operate a vehicle even when traveling across states. There could be some other less drastic ways to lower injuries and deaths by motor vehicles as in simply encouraging people to be safe and not drive distracted. Or make several more laws for driver to remember which can get confusing. However, millions of lives have been ruined by the poor driving abilities of people throughout the years that is increasing, and there need to be a drastic change to save lives. Those other solutions will only make a small difference and could be temporary, but this solution is long term for the betterment of the people. Therefore, the best solution to lower the number of motor vehicle accidents per year is by making a uniform advancement of the written and physical tests and requiring all people to take assessment to receive a driver’s license

As American drivers it is your responsibility to make decisions on not just the behalf of yourself, but for the people around your mother, father, sister, brother, neighbors, and friends to protect them at all costs. It is in the best interest of the American people to follow this solution to lower the rates of injuries and death caused by car accidents originating from inadequate knowhow of operating a motor vehicle. The solution will create a significant long-term change by ensuring people can properly drive, save billions of dollars spent each year from car accident, and most importantly save lives of the road every day. Do not let any more time pass by, choose to make a difference, choose to save lives by improving the process of receiving a driver license.

Works Cited

Best, Amy L. “Teen Driving as Public Drama: Statistics, Risk, and the Social Construction of Youth as a Public Problem.” Journal of Youth Studies, vol. 11, no. 6, 01 Dec. 2008, pp. 651-669. EBSCOhost, libdb.ppcc.edu/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ821058&site=eds-live.

Christenson, Joseph. “Surprising Facts about Teen Drivers.” Chronicle of the American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association, vol. 53, no. 3, Summer 2005, p. 3. EBSCOhost, libdb.ppcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=18792736&site=eds-live.

“General Statistics.” Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute, U.S Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/overview-of-fatality-facts.

“Top 25 Causes of Car Accidents.” Law Offices of Michael Pines APC, Better Business Bureau, seriousaccidents.com/legal-advice/top-causes-of-car-accidents/.

“Traveler’s Road Risk Statistics.” Association for Safe International Road Travel, Non-Profit Humanitarian Organization, asirt.org/Initiatives/Informing-Road-Users/Road-Safety-Facts/Road-Crash-Statistics.