Driver´s Education

Lily Sewell

30 September 2020

Driver’s Education

Beginning drivers remain the most vulnerable to car accidents and are the most prone to the dangers behind the wheel. Advancements in the ways teens can earn their licenses have progressed over the years. People now have access to testing online and completing courses through mobile apps and websites. Due to these recent improvements, in-person instruction is not prioritized like it once was. Most millennials earned their passage to drive through classes and were required to complete the standard curriculum in schools before driving. Driver’s ed should be required in the high school curriculum for students of age because teens do not have authentic access to information and are not held accountable for knowing safe driving procedures.

Most teens are eager to begin driving and experience a part of the world that they have always admired. Driving is an earned way of life to feel independent and gain responsibilities as a young individual. Moreover, teens can often be too confident in their driving skills and overlook the dangers of others around them due to the lack of awareness taught before acquiring a license. For example, everyone knows not to use a cell phone while driving. But, it is easy for young people to defy the rules because they have never experienced the dangers of what they are being taught to do or not to do. While no one should ever purposefully put themselves in dangerous situations, beginning drivers need to be cautious. ¨In the mid-1990s, the National Safety Council and the National Transportation Safety Board met to establish a national model for Graduated driver’s license programs” (Graduated Drivers Licensing). Doing so, established more rules and regulations for the younger age groups driving and reduced the number of fatal teen crashes. This study proved that by implementing new practices and regulations, it is possible to reduce the risks that teen drivers may experience. If a change was made to include driver’s education into the school curriculum, it would effectively ensure more safety among teens since it has been proven before that adding regulations can result in a positive effect. A study conducted showed the results of placing students in a virtual-reality simulation of driving to test responses to different scenarios:

Traffic accidents are among the main problems affecting the most advanced societies and whose economic and human consequences are enormous. One way to reduce this problem is by carrying out an optimal education program for future drivers in order to equate them with the risks that are involved while driving a vehicle. This driver’s education deals with two aspects of driving: Theoretical, which includes knowledge of the legal code, signs, manoeuvres, etc. and practical, that deals with driving a car in real situations. In order to attain a driver’s license, applicants must pass two exams, each dealing with one of these aspects. (Garcia-Ros)

Driving is a skill that is difficult to learn without experiencing it first hand. Yet, taking time to allow students access to real situations during class would give students a break from the normal school day and give a close expectation of what happens while driving. Requiring these types of programs in school will also provide a means of holding new drivers accountable for memorizing safety procedures. Students are more adapted and responsive to the material shown in classrooms rather than some of the current methods of obtaining a license online. For the entire time a student is attending school, they are learning how to retain information. It is easiest to teach information if it follows the traditional style of learning that is practiced.

While new generations of drivers have more and more access to information online during this time, it is not the same as gaining information through in-class learning. Schools have implemented a specific way to test students’ knowledge and teach a set of skills that have proved to be the most effective means of learning. “No instructional tool can aspire to completely take the place of those already in existence. For this reason, the evaluation of this tool should be done for considering its integration within the context of the classroom and the additional expressiveness achieved especially concerning the new contents that are now possible to present” (Garcia-Ros). Since learning in school is the foundation of the knowledge that every individual holds, it should be known that teaching important life skills like driving, should be taught in the classrooms as well. The risks and fatalities due to driving can almost always be prevented by practicing safer driving procedures or being more cautious and familiar with common mistakes. These small changes can drastically drop the number of accidents among younger age groups. Plus, there is a wide range of information and resources available for classrooms to use to teach these skills to students.

Drive it home from the National Safety Council is a website intended to help keep teen drivers safe. The Teen Driver Risks section provides ideas to encourage safe driving. The Digital Driving Coach section provides an online library of safe driving tips. Each one-page handout explores a different topic. The Resources section includes research, presentations, quizzes, and other information. (Lamb)

Doing so may also encourage students to start driving and be more motivated to experience independence and accomplish things on their own. Operating a vehicle is the main source of transportation and is a skill that everyone should be able to practice safely. Teaching the basics can change the future of driving in our world and make the streets a safer place.

Driver’s education was taken out of school due to the rigorous amount of classwork and homework students have, along with the changing economy and increased difficulty of buying a car. Students are busier now than ever before with advanced classes, extracurriculars, working outside of school, clubs, and family responsibilities. The school day is long enough that it is already difficult for students to remain attentive. However, sacrificing 10-20 minutes a day by cutting short math or history classes to teach about driver’s safety can result in tremendous changes throughout the world. The cost of safety outweighs a few extra minutes of homework or losing time in other classes. Also, presenting this information to students would be a change and maybe even a break during the school day to be engaged in something new and different. Some students have underlying problems with driving experiences in the past and may have traumatizing memories of events that have occurred from driving. Just as accommodations have been made for students that cannot read certain books in class, the same can be done for these individuals. It is also important for these people to learn from things that have changed them and be able to prevent tragic events in the future.

Furthermore, society is quickly advancing and making improvements with new ideas and technology. Upcoming generations have access to almost anything imaginable and it is important to take advantage of those resources without sacrificing safety. Driving is an everyday skill that controls huge aspects of peoples’ lives. Young drivers must be well educated and aware of the world around them. Learning how to drive should be a part of students’ basic school curriculum to ensure safety among this age group and with those who share the road.

Works Cited

GARCIA-ROS, RAFAEL, et al. “DESIGNING A SYSTEM FOR COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION IN ROAD EDUCATION: A FIRST EVALUATION.” International Journal of Instructional Media, vol. 26, no. 4, 1999, p. 403. Gale In Context: College, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A57746589/CSIC?u=txshracd2562&sid=CSIC&xid=a66cae32. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.

“Graduated Drivers Licensing Programs Reduce Fatal Teen Crashes.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 18 Sept. 2015, www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/graduated-drivers-licensing-programs-reduce-fatal-teen-crashes.

Lamb, Annette. “Tools for educators, students, and families.” Teacher Librarian, vol. 43, no. 5, 2016, p. 40+. Gale In Context: College, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A457693547/CSIC?u=txshracd2562&sid=CSIC&xid=77f10ea2. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.