The Importance of Drivers ed

The importance of drivers ed in reducing the number of deaths due to driving is in explaining the laws and regulations of a given state to up-and-coming drivers so that they can be better equipped to make good choices both before and when they get into the driver’s seat. Many times, beginner drivers are bubbling with excitement to start driving but are less so when it comes to reading up on the laws and unspoken rules of the road. Though not as exciting as getting behind the wheel, learning about the laws a driver must obey while on the road is equally important, if not more so to becoming a responsible driver.

I was one of those wide-eyed beginner drivers, ready to start driving but annoyed at having to sit through mandatory Drivers Ed program classes four times a week. I can remember the impatience as I thought: Why do I need to be here? I already know that I shouldn’t drink and drive and should always wear my seatbelt. What else is there to know? It wasn’t until our Drivers Ed teacher told us a story of his daughter and another pedestrian dying in a car accident for speeding and colliding with a wire from a construction block what was a mere few inches higher than what protocol required that I realized just how dangerous it can be to not pay attention to the rules of road.

Drivers ed helps to better explain not just the what behind driving regulations, but the why. For example, a beginner driver may know that there is a law that states that a police officer can arrest you if you are found with 0.08 percent or more of alcohol, but not because at that level a person has an extremely hindered sense of depth perception, glare recovery, peripheral vision, and reasoning, and that at any level higher than that can cause an individual to lose consciousness and suffer from amnesia and physical disability. Explaining the reasoning behind the laws is a crucial part of drivers ed so that beginner drivers can understand the rules, and therefore be more inclined to listen to them.

Though I thankfully have been in no accidents due to irresponsible driving, I frequently think about my driving instructor’s story when I see my mother speeding to get to church on time. Though being late to an event is never enjoyable, we’re never alone on the road. There are other drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians that share the road with us, and we all must do our part to keep each other safe. If all drivers abided by the speed limit or paid attention on the road as best as possible regardless of their personal situation, then there would be less cyclists or joggers getting hurt because someone couldn’t slam the brakes in time, or less motor-related accidents at intersections. As citizens, we all must be responsible on the road so that we may protect ourselves, and each other.