Education is Key to Safety

Your sixteenth birthday is, for many teenagers in my state, the most exciting day. Most kids head over to the DMV to take their permit test. A passing test means they have at least six months to practice driving before gaining a driver’s license. In most teenagers’ eyes, getting their driver’s license is the door to freedom.

Teens see earning their driver’s license as a way to escape the need for asking their parents for a ride to and fro. It is a way to explore the world away from their parents or guardians but most kids aren’t fully aware of the consequences that come with driving.

According to dmvedu.org, each year an average of 34,000 people in America die in traffic accidents. This is a horrific but accurate statistic. Unfortunately, many of these fatalities are young teens who have just received their license.

Driver Education is crucial to decrease the number of deaths resulting from driving. During Driver’s Ed, most people learn how to correctly read the roads, such as learning what different signs mean, knowing the right of way, and how to correctly merge in and out of lanes. You also will learn how to be a defensive driver. These different instructions help you stay safe on the roads as well as alleviate anxiety many new drivers experience. Not only does Driver’s Ed teach you how to read road cues, they also teach you how to properly protect yourself and others around you while driving.

There are many distractions that can prevent you from focusing on the road. Many people are caught texting while driving, taking phone calls, and switching stations on the radio dial. These may seem like very small distractions but any bit of focus that is turned away from driving can lead to an accident. Drivers Education teaches you to keep your phone in places that you are unlikely to be used while driving, such as your center console or next to you in the passenger’s seat. They say that if it is urgent then either pull over to the side of the road or wait until you are at a complete stop.

Another distraction that creates a poor driver is driving under the influence. Driving instructors and educators enforce that no one drives drunk or high. This can impair your vision, hearing, and physical sensations. A large majority of accidents and fatalities are caused because of these drivers and it is meant to be taken very seriously because it takes the lives of many innocent people.

I personally have seen some of my peers drive irresponsibly. Some have driven under the influence while others have texted while driving that led to an accident. My peers have gotten into minor fender benders while others have almost been killed. This is the scary reality we live in and it needs to be changed.

In order to reduce the numbers of deaths resulting in driving, there needs to be more forms of communication among new drivers. This means that in school there should be presentations where driving education is talked about along with the risks that come along with being on the roads. Not only can schools enforce this education, but families at home need to spread this communication as well. Parents and guardians should be having these conversations about how you can keep yourself and others safe while driving because it is very important to be aware of the reality. These conversations aren’t meant to scare drivers, but instead they are to educate on how you can prevent these situations from happening.

I know I am not perfect and have found myself texting at a red light and being honked at when the light turns green. These mistakes happen but it is important to realize your fault and move forward in ways that prevent it from happening again. I can help my peers around me by making sure they are not under the influence while driving, becoming their designated driver, holding their phones while on the road, and making sure they are focused.

It is important that drivers are informed of the risks as well as how to prevent accidents from happening. This education needs to be enforced in schools, at home, and throughout the permit and license process. By being educated properly, this can save many innocent lives.

I am thankful for the Driver’s Education program my parents enrolled me in. I was terrified of driving when I got my permit; overly cautious and downright afraid of having the power of being behind a steering wheel. What if I went too fast and didn’t navigate a curve correctly, or slid through a stop sign on a wet road, or simply didn’t see someone turning in front of me? My driving instructor gave me that proper balance of knowledge and skill to allow me to be at ease and to have confidence in my driving skills and this education is what all new drivers should learn.