Accidents Are Not Inexorable: How Drivers Ed Decreases Car Accidents

Accidents Are Not Inexorable: How Drivers ed Decreases Car Accidents

The CDC places unintentional accidents, which includes motor vehicle deaths, as the 3rd leading cause of death in America. This astronomical number is in part the result of an ever moving America in which children are let behind the wheel alarmingly prematurely and without a proper understanding of what it means to be safe on the road.

Increasing the focus on safe driving education could help mitigate this data, as educating soon to be drivers on the rules and regulations of safe driving is the only way to effectively produce safe drivers. A 2015 study from the University of Nebraska found that persons who had not completed drivers ed were 24% more likely to get into an accident, and 16% more likely to be involved in a fatal crash. Data like this feeds into the incontestable notion that drivers ed should be a priority for anyone looking to get behind the wheel for the first time.

High schools should also offer classes or other aid for obtaining drivers ed, as many of its students will be embarking on the road very soon. One way they can do this is by implementing a program called Every 15 Minutes, which educates students on the dangers and grim reality of drunk driving. It does this by staging an accident involving students from the high school in order to have other kids realize just how easily it could happen to anyone around them. The program also features keynote speakers who engage students with advice and stories of their personal history with drunk driving.

I have personally never been in a car accident, which I am incredibly fortunate for. I have however, known people who have had loved ones severely hurt or even killed in car accidents, and have seen the absolute devastation such tragedies can cause. At my own school, a recently graduated senior was involved in a drunk driving accident and lost his life. As stated previously, these tragic events occur all too often, and many of them could have been and should have been prevented with proper education.

Even with the proper amount of education, no one is a perfect driver all of the time. I myself am often not the picture of safe driving, as I sometimes second guess my decisions, drive too slowly, or misinterpret signs. I know that there are many others like me who do not drive perfectly all the time. To become a better driver, I and many others can do our best to remain calm and in control at all times, as well as respect the rules of the road. In addition, people may practice defensive driving; being alert at all times.

With slight tweaks to the system, and placing a focus on educating future drivers well, I believe more and more people will be able to get behind the wheel for the first time confident in their driving skills.