Drivers ed Essay

Daniel Wang

6 July 2020

Drivers ed Essay

Almost everyone drives. In the United States, 88 percent of the population owns a car. That’s over 280 million vehicles on the road. Teens as young as fourteen years old can legally drive in some states and buying a car is easier than ever before in the web-dominant society we live in today. Unfortunately, our current traffic laws are not keeping up to pace with the transportation demands of our time. One major problem we face is the lack of training and practice before we get out on the road, and this persisting issue has caused tens of thousands of deaths each year.

It is vital to better prepare our new drivers for the road. That’s why it is important for us to raise the amount of mandatory driving class hours and practice before allowing drivers to test for their license. I believe that the current requirements for obtaining a driver’s license is too easy, too quick, and doesn’t properly equip new drivers with the proper knowledge and experience for the road. I, myself, barely had six hours of practice behind the wheel before acing the DMV’s driving test. But was I really ready to drive solo? Honestly, probably not. I never parallel parked, or even set foot on the freeway, or even knew what half the buttons and levers on my car’s dashboard did.

A regulation that increases mandatory driving class hours would better prepare drivers for the road and, in turn, lead to a reduced number of accidents and deaths. Changing traffic laws will produce minimal benefits if the drivers themselves can’t properly drive. For now, we can each do our part by spending extra time practicing driving with an instructor, parent, or peer who already have years of driving experience even if the DMV’s license requirements have been met already. Ultimately, it is for our own safety and good to be prepared. A few extra hours could potentially save a life.