The Importance of Safe Driving Education and Practices

Cheyenne Ribble

Drivers Ed Essay

July 31, 2020

The Importance of Safe Driving Education and Practices

In 2017 alone over 300,000 young American drivers between ages 16-19 were injured or killed in car accidents. Of course, we have been told for years that motor vehicles are the leading cause of death in the United States, but do we really take it all that seriously? This alarming number of incidents involving adolescent drivers is exactly why drivers ed and safe driving are so important.

Education is key. In order to drive safely and effectively, you must first acquire the knowledge and skills to do so. Without drivers ed, practices and testing, our drivers would not be equipped and qualified with the necessary skills of everyday driving. They would essentially be lost in a world of high-speed chaos, simply fending for themselves. It is important that a solid foundation be provided in order to best prevent deaths due to driving. Informing motor vehicle operators just how serious safe driving habits are and backing it with statistics often influence people the best, alongside firsthand accounts. However, education is not everything.

While it is the key component; young people tend to be a product of their environment. Meaning, if their parent is commonly a distracted or reckless driver, their child is also likely to adapt to that type of ill behavior. So, it is also vital that our parents or other influencers practice safe and rational driving habits in order to set an example for their soon to be driver. But after driving for any extended period of time, it is easy to let our guard down and start picking up those bad habits we vouched never to do as beginner driver’s. That is when the accidents begin to happen and what really needs to change. Alongside education and positive influences, a certain amount of accountability also goes into being an attentive driver.

In order to keep deaths due to vehicle accidents down, I feel it is essential to further drivers ed down the road. Now, I don’t mean requiring more 5-hour courses. But, producing updated content and driving tips for drivers of all ages to refresh their memory, information about new laws or regulations, as well as requiring eye and coherence testing every so many years to ensure all drivers are qualified and able to be driving. As we age our health fluctuates and eventually declines, so this is especially important to mid and upper aged drivers or those with some type of minor impairment. Of course, these changes cannot be initiated without adequate funding, which is another aspect that goes into producing safe drivers. Education is not always free, so funding too is significant in safe driver development and maintenance.

As a driver, I take responsibility for protecting myself and others on the road. By always being attentive, up to date on laws and regulations, obeying traffic laws and speed limits and always avoiding cell phone usage while driving. I as an individual can keep death numbers reduced. I can also help others drive safely by encouraging them to follow the same measures and provide the necessary education and examples when needed.

In my life, I have experienced little reckless driving within my family and only encountered one minor accident when my father and I were rear ended while at a reduced speed by someone else coming around a blind turn. The fear from that small incident alone gives me enough incentive to always drive cautiously and to expect the unexpected.