Benefits of Driver’s Education

Jessica Coleman

Scholarship Essay

September 29, 2020

Benefits of Driver’s Education

I received my license at 16 years old with no driver’s education. All I had was 1 year of experience driving with an adult in the vehicle. Not even 6 months after I received my license I was pulled over and ticketed for speeding. I lost my license for 6 months and was mandated to attend a Defensive Driving course. I was unaware of how dangerous my behavior that night was. I was driving 75 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone, coming into a curve that several years later took the lives of two teenagers speeding the way I was. After taking the defensive driving course I learned several tools and tactics that have helped me stay safe these last 17 years since I took that class. I have not received another ticket, nor have I been in any car accidents while driving. Driver’s education, or defensive driving courses, are very important tools that help prepare new drivers to operate vehicles properly. I believe it reduces the number of deaths by warning students of potentially dangerous driving conditions, such as hazardous road conditions, impaired driving, and driving in dangerous weather. Driver’s education teaches the students driving strategies and rules and also shows what the consequences of not following those rules may be. Steps that may be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are: not driving distracted or impaired, wearing seat belts, putting children in proper restraints, following the rules and guidelines for driving, and constant awareness of other drivers. Taking those few extra seconds when the light has turned green to make certain cross traffic is going to stop has kept me from being hit more than once.

I have been a passenger in a car accident and have definitely witnessed friends and family driving irresponsibly. As I have already discussed, I have been guilty of driving irresponsibly myself. My brother was in a fatal car accident in 2003 as a result of his choice to drive under the influence. He barely survived the accident with lifelong repercussions, but his passenger and good friend did not survive. Reckless driving can change the lives of not only the one choosing to drive that way, but also the lives of those that love and care for them the most. In an instant the lives of my entire family and the family of my brother’s passenger were changed forever.

Steps I can take to be a better and safer driver are to disable calls and texts on my phone while driving to reduce the number of distractions while driving. Placing my phone in a purse or glove compartment will reduce the temptation to mess with it, even at red lights. I can help others become safer on the road by modeling that behavior myself. I have three children that ride with me daily. By modeling proper and safe driving habits, I can teach them what safe and responsible driving looks like. Talking through the habits I have developed such as checking for cross traffic as we approach intersections, keeping an eye on other cars on the road using my mirrors, checking my rearview mirror when braking to be sure the car behind me is stopping as well, maintaining proper distance behind vehicles in front of me and following speed limits are all habits that have developed over the years and have helped keep me and my family safe. These are all things that I was taught in that defensive driving class in 2003. I believe Driver’s Education should be a requirement to receive your driver’s license and will advocate for it any day. I know it changed my driving habits for the better.