An Antidote to the Road Crisis

Cars are fascinating amalgamations of complex parts in seemingly perpetual motion, making it no wonder that people push them to the upper bounds of their velocity, nor any wonder that so many people die within them. Some 37.5 thousand people per year are victims in the United States alone, a majority adolescents. There exist a myriad ways to prevent such needless destruction of both life and property, however. Drivers ed, for example, forms no small part of the solution, enabling the many means by which road deaths may be significantly reduced.

Educational driving courses instill the knowledge whereby these many deaths may be prevented, for, as noted, young, inexperienced drivers are most likely to die. Evidently, a lack of knowledge, offered by said courses, leads to these untimely deaths. Studies confirm their practical efficacy, undeniably important in the prevention of road deaths. These studies found a lower incidence of collisions for driving-educated teenagers, effecting a reduced mortality rate among them. So, in order to inhibit the latter, it is necessary to do likewise the former by means of drivers ed.

What exactly does drivers ed teach, however? Chief among its lessons are proper seat belt use and alcohol control. Both effecting drastic reductions in the chance of collision. By attending a drivers ed class, this valuable knowledge is planted in the young student’s mind. Just using a seat belt alone halves the chance of fatal injury, far beyond an insignificant figure. Greater participation in driving education proportionally prevents greater deaths. Yet these are a few of the safety measures taught by driving classes. Observance of speed limits and the plethora of traffic laws designed to save lives are others. In ⅓ of accidents, after all, inappropriate speed is the major cause. Levelling the road death statistic, therefore, necessitates drivers ed, observance of traffic laws and, consequently, the enforcement of said mandates.

I’ve personally found myself in few accidents– none resulting in any mortalities or permanent injuries, though I’ve definitely been in negligent situations capable of developing so and know others who’ve under similar circumstances been. I attribute this fortune to my father’s adherence to the aforementioned precautions. An accident not too long ago, for example, resulted from the other driver’s ignorance. While changing direction, the other driver failed to observe the speed limit and rammed us sidelong. Those whom I know have more often found themselves in worse situations have fared similar to me, though they’ve suffered serious property damage. Many of their vehicles have been wrecked, costing fortunes. Had they greater discipline, no such losses would have occurred.

The promotion of safe driving outside of drivers ed should not be neglected either. All may play their own part in reducing the painful amount of road deaths. One may lead by example: driving sober and maintaining one’s speed under control. Public service announcements, via any medium, and the full and proper enforcement of the law also aid much in encouraging safe conduct on the road. Be safe!