Experience with Driver’s Education

When I first started driving, there was a mandate that all new drivers had to go through driver’s education before obtaining their license. On successfully passing driver’s education, they would be awarded their license. As a new, young teen simply wanting to drive, I hated spending my free time practicing driving and going to lessons. As an adult, I can see the importance of it compared to my friends who didn’t have to go. Driver’s education gave me a skilled instructor to not only teach me how to drive but the laws and rules as well. I knew the inner workings of not only the national laws but the more local laws as well. I was forced to learn how to reverse into a parking spot, a skill I wouldn’t have practiced. Compared to my peers who didn’t have driver’s education, I was well versed in my dashboard lights, the exact rules for signs, and how to safely pull over even in one-way streets.

For this reason, I think mandating driver’s education can help reduce the number of deaths related to driving. It gives people a chance to work with an experienced and trained professional who can properly coach them on how to be better drivers. It would also help enforce the no texting and driving rule. My instructor was aware that people would fiddle with the radio or drink out of cups while driving and was able to properly coach us how to safely do that. An instructor could help install good lessons for newer drivers like putting their phones in the glove compartment right away while driving or to make sure they’re set up with their mirrors and radio before starting to drive. It’s these little distractions that cause so many accidents every year that need to be addressed.

I have been in a few accidents, but the one that comes to mind is the patch of black ice. When I lived in the city, there was a sharp turn that needed to be taken slowly, less than 30 MPH ideally after coming down from high way speeds. During summer days, this felt more like a suggestion. However, one winter in my younger days, I took the turn too fast and hit a patch of black ice. I hit a cement wall and my air bags deployed. The incident shook me terribly. It taught me a valuable lesson though. The speed limits aren’t just suggestions. They know how fast I should be going no matter the weather. After the accidents, I paid more attention to speed limits especially in areas with sharper turns. I learned how to move aside for emergency vehicles. I overall became more aware of my surroundings. Having a car accident wasn’t fun, but it did make me more aware of what I can do to be safer on the road.