Drivers Ed – Put your phone away

The car has become one of the primary tools used by modern people. It has had one of the most significant impacts on human living that people started to build roads and cities that were more accessible to cars. Almost every family had one to travel to work or school, and soon it was one of the major gifts to be given to a young adult. But with so many young and inexperienced people driving around, the rate of fatal car accidents began to go up. In response to the rising rate of deaths, America started adding speed limits, stoplights, and then road signs. With the success of the laws lowering the rate of car accidents, the idea to educate young students before they got on the road came to be. In 1956, schools began to teach drivers safety to help students prevent car accidents.

Drivers Education is a program that provides knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for vehicle safety as a driver. Most deaths caused by driving are primarily a result of not recognizing risk and potential consequences while on the road. Drivers Ed ensures that young drivers know to make decisions to eliminate the use of drugs and alcohol. While also including anger management skills to avoid aggressive driving. Young drivers that haven’t had Drivers Education are 75% more likely to get a ticket, 24% to be in a fatal accident, and 16% to have an accident at all.

Some of the top causes for car accidents are: distracted driving, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, reckless driving, and weather conditions. Distracted driving is the most significant and most dangerous, with 3,000 deaths per year—25% caused by drivers between 20 and 29. Most accidents can be avoided by knowing the rules of the road and knowing the results of not following them. Drivers Education can teach young drivers both before they go out and learn it themselves.

After taking Drivers Education and getting my license, I still had some close calls because of distracted driving. Most of my accidents were caused by doing other things like reading texts or eating food when I should have been paying attention to the road. My car has sensors that tell me if I’m about to hit someone; I might not be writing this right now without them. But not all people can afford to have cars that automatically stop when they are about to crash. Some ways to avoid distracted driving are simple but aren’t utilized because of inconvenience. To avoid using your phone while driving, you should install an app that locks your phone while in the car. And if you need your phone for navigation, you can ask a passenger for assistance. You might not be driving and are just a passenger in some cases. If you find yourself in such a situation, please remind the driver to pay attention to the road and avoid using the phone.

We must teach younger drivers to respect the rules and take driving seriously. Many of my friends have had real crashes, not because of being distracted but trying to mess around. For example, an old friend tried to show how fast his car was. He floored it in the school parking lot, trying to go as fast as he could. He soon lost control of his car and started to spin out of control. It was lucky that he crashed away from the other vehicles and people, but we all made sure to chew him out for being an idiot. Not only did he put us in danger, but he also put himself in danger to try and show off.

It is sad to see that so many driving accidents could have been avoided by the simple task of putting away your phone or just using common sense. But I will not blame it all on phones and people; things outside our control also cause some accidents, whether they are potholes, road conditions, or others not following the laws. The only thing we can do is know how to act if we find ourselves in such situations. Knowing what to do and who to call in an emergency are some things that can be learned in Drivers Ed and can be the critical moment in saving a life. By Informing them about traffic laws and the repercussions of breaking those laws, just having basic knowledge on how to drive and act while on the road could save the driver and pedestrians’ lives.