Safer Drivers for more survivors

Safer drivers for more survivors

For the majority of people, driving is the most dangerous activity they do every day. Due to distractions, lack of alertness, bad weather conditions, and many more dangerous factors, tens of thousands of Americans die on the road every year. Given that driving is the main means of transportation for most people, widespread driver education, more strict driving requirements, and better public transportation are necessary to make the roads safer.

More widespread and regular drivers’ education is important to reduce the number of deaths on the road. Today, in some states, drivers’ education is only required for individuals that are younger than seventeen and a half. This means that anyone that gets their license after that age never takes a drivers’ education class unless they go to traffic school. It is alarming that most drivers never have to take a drivers’ education course. In addition to that, teenagers take the course once, but then are allowed to drive for decades without having to update or refresh their knowledge. To reduce the number of deaths due to driving, every driver should have to take a drivers’ education class before they are allowed to drive. There should also be a required refresher course every five to ten years to make sure all drivers have up to date information and are reminded of the rules of the road before they can keep driving.

There should be more strict driving requirements in order to keep the roads safe. For example, the number of mistakes allowed on a driving test in order to pass should be reduced. Driving test takers are very informed on the rules of the road and very alert, but as they get more comfortable driving, they become more relaxed about the rules (speeding, rolling through stop signs, etc.), so the number of mistakes on the test tends to be amplified. Reducing the number of mistakes allowed creates a buffer so that even if people become more comfortable on the road, they won’t be too lax about the rules. Another potential measure is testing older drivers more frequently. Getting older reduces vision and alertness. Testing older drivers more often could help reduce the number of accidents and therefore fatalities on the road. Lastly, serious driving infractions, such as excessive speeding and driving under the influence should be more heavily penalized. All of these more strict measures could help save lives on the road by reducing the number of potentially dangerous drivers.

In order to put more strict requirements in place, there should be more transportation options for those that are no longer allowed to drive. This would not only reduce the number of vehicles on the road, but also help people that shouldn’t be driving get around without putting others in danger. Better drivers’ education and stricter requirements for drivers will reduce the number of dangerous drivers on the road and increasing public transportation options will allow these people to get around as they need without them putting others in danger.