The Importance of Driver’s Education

I believe that driver education is one of the most important fields of study that someone can be involved in. According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, or ASIRT, roughly 1.35 million people die in crashes each year. Additionally, 20-50 million people are injured badly enough to require medical attention. If you’re like me and can’t even begin to imagine a number that large, that’s roughly 3,700 people dying each day due to negligence, dangerous road conditions, and just plain ignorance. However, I know that without driver’s education that number would be exponentially larger. The phrase, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” is a good explanation for why so many accidents still happen despite education and practice requirements that new driver’s face. I was fortunate to have an amazing driving instructor, but even though he taught the material in an interesting way and I learned a lot from him, there were students who still didn’t pay any attention to him or put forth any effort.

There are a number of steps that can be taken to reduce the number of driving-related deaths. First, teacher’s could increase the number of exams required to pass driver’s education courses. I feel as though it is too easy for students to ignore the materials given in class all year, and then cram all of the information in the night before the test to pass- then just forget it within a week. A higher number of tests means that students are studying more throughout the year, effectively storing the information into their long-term memory. Second, anyone trying to apply for a driver’s license must complete a driving test with a certified Department of Motor Vehicles instructor. Personally, the process of getting a driver’s license was incredibly easy. I passed the behind the wheel test with my driver’s education instructor, brought all of the necessary papers and materials to my local DMV, and filled out a form. My birthday did not fall on a “test day” and thus I didn’t need to take a driving test with an instructor. I also believe that elderly citizens and those with a family history of dementia should be required to renew their driver’s license more frequently. In 2019, 8,000 people aged 65+ were killed in automobile accidents- and over 250,000 were injured in crashes that required medical assistance or emergency services. Additionally, there need to be stricter laws about distracted driving, such as banning the use of cosmetic products while driving.

I have never been in a crash, though I know multiple people and family members who have. My cousin Alli was in a serious accident a few years ago after an eldery individual ran a stop sign and slammed into the driver’s side of her car. My friend Elijah was hit by a truck while riding his four-wheeler and suffered multiple life-threatening injuries, including two broken femurs, a broken right hip, and seven broken fingers- one of which was completely shattered and had to be removed and reattached. He was airlifted from the scene of the accident and was hospitalized for three weeks before being released. It has been months since the accident and he still has difficulty walking, he also lost the ability to control several of his fingers. He almost died, all because of a careless driver.

I think that I am a good driver, however, there really is no end to someone’s driving education. I believe that driving is like other skills: it requires practice. The longer you go without driving, the “rustier” your driving skills are. Similarly, if you just go through the motions while driving without being completely aware of your surroundings, it becomes easier for you to zone out behind the wheel. Although I have been actively working towards becoming a better driver, sometimes my mind will wander when I’m driving and my muscle memory will take me to different places without me realizing it. I’ve found that playing driving games with myself and/or passengers (i.e eye spy) is also helpful in being more aware of my surroundings.

How do you make other people drive safer, though? I believe that utilizing resources like social media platforms to spread awareness about driving safely is a good idea. As technology becomes more and more prevalent in society, mobile apps such as TikTok and Instagram continue to grow in popularity. The user-friendly interfaces that these apps have allows for simple and fast video making. Additionally, using similar channels to spread awareness has proven to have a positive impact before. I remember seeing several episodes of telivision as a child that focused on driving safely, seatbelt laws, and drunk driving. Schools also use posters, informational ads, and guest speakers to instill the importance of safe driving in students.

Frankly, it shocks me that there are people who consider driving such a mundane and unimportant task that they can zone out or try to multitask while behind the wheel. Many of us have forgotten that driving is a privilege, not a right, and people are dying every day because of it. Although driving seems like a normal task, any time you are sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle, you are technically operating heavy machinery. Ensuring that you are a safe driver and are knowledgeable about the rules of the road is a responsibility that every driver must fulfill, regardless of how long you have been driving or how good you think you are.