The Importance of Youth Drivers Ed

The Importance of Youth Driver’s Education

I remember sitting in my drivers ed class the summer before Sophomore year. I had just gotten my learner’s permit, and was so excited to get on the road. The class showed a video of teenagers who had gotten into a car accident, which reminded me of a past tragedy. When my cousin was 17 years old, she died in a car accident. Around 11 at night, her brother was driving her friends home. He fell asleep at the wheel, she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, the car ran off the road into a tree, and my cousin was killed on impact. Her memory has influenced me to be a safe driver, all the time, and I believe that drivers ed is extremely important to hopefully try and prevent tragedies like this from happening to anyone, especially that young. Because of this experience, I do my best to practice safe driving, and I believe that drivers ed should encourage all teenagers and young adults to do the same. From my experience in drivers ed, this program serves as an important and eye-opening reality to young drivers, before they are released with the freedoms of independent driving. Being young, it’s easy to forget, or not pay attention to the risks tied in driving. It’s easy to blast the music, laugh with your friends, and drive fast. The videos and information from driver’s ed have stuck with me, and I hope this is the same case for my peers. Without exposure to the harsh reality of the danger in driving, many young drivers would be oblivious to the risk they take everyday behind the wheel, and how to reduce that risk. You often don’t understand something well enough until you see/experience it. I believe that the curriculum of the drivers ed program allows students to have a better understanding, both logical and emotional, to the risks in operating a vehicle.

The videos and curriculum in the drivers ed program are very helpful and have prevented many accidents, however, I believe the courses need to add another component to their curriculums. When I was younger, I had the opportunity to talk to a young adult that had survived a car accident from texting and driving. She suffered from permanent scars to her face and body, and her experience has led her to advocate for safety behind the wheel with young adults and teenagers. Being able to talk to a car accident survivor really shifted my perspective on car safety. I believe that the component of talking to a real car crash survivor opens your eyes even more to the lessons of car safety, and should be implemented into every drivers ed classroom. Whenever I hear of, or witness a peer that is practicing unsafe driving, I share my story with them. I try and use my past experiences to encourage my peers to be safe, and I am thankful for the drivers ed program, and how many potential lives the program has saved.