What are the Odds?

In 2020, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculated 11,654 fatalities caused by drunk driving, which is 30 percent of all traffic fatalities in that year (NHTSA, 2022). My brother was 28 when he had his drunk driving accident.

When coming from the city, one has to take the expressway to our parents’ house. Prior to the exit there is a rest stop. On a quite fateful Saturday, my brother had decided to drink with his friend and drive home after last call. He did not live with our parents at the time, but he headed to their house anyway. Not only was he drunk, but he was speeding as well. He took the exit that he thought led to our parents’ house, lost control, and wrapped his car around a large tree. As it turns out, he had actually driven into the rest stop and drove all of the way through the parking lot at high speeds, hitting a tree near the exit of the lot. The situation was incredibly fortunate since the hour was so late; there were no other pedestrians or drivers at the stop. My brother also had very minor abrasions and no other injuries. It was revealed, however, that this was not his first offense with alcohol. His license was revoked, and he was unable to get it back unless he completed certain requirements. One of these requirements was to attend driver’s education.

In the 1980s, studies found that driver’s education had no effect on the amount of car accidents. A more recent study completed in 2015 actually reported opposite findings. The study found that “young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16 percent more likely to have an accident.” The statistics demonstrate that driver’s education does have a positive impact on the amount of fatal crashes, and not taking the course can increase the likelihood of having a fatal accident (Newman & Shell, 2015).

Driver’s education is optional in some states for people over the age of 18. I personally did not take Driver’s education because I could not afford it at the time. My brother was the same situation. I studied the booklet independently and passed the test, but there were some traffic situations that were trial and error. We grew up in a small town with few intersections and a lot of country roads. In the city there are many more nuances to driving. Driver’s education is an important way for drivers to learn about the more complicated situations and laws. Locally for us, there are three learning centers. One was thirty minutes away from home, one was an hour away, and one was an hour and thirty minutes away from home. One step that could be taken to make the roads a safer place is to make the education more affordable and accessible. This would help increase the number of students that attend and learn, and decrease the number of fatal deaths, as demonstrated in the aforementioned statistic. A second way to increase safety on the roads is to mark some intersections more clearly or create an alternative for the intersection. There has been an increase in the number of roundabouts that have been created in a city near me with the intention of reducing accidents and traffic jams in those areas.

There are a few ways that I have tried to improve my driving. To decrease distractions, I use my dashboard screen for my navigation and music. I select the songs I want to listen to for the drive, so I do not have to change anything while I am in the car. I also have a “driving mode” on my phone that automatically responds to texts to notify the receiver that I am driving and will respond later. To help my brother, I offered to drive him to his classes. We encourage him to let us know when he will be out with friends in the event that he needs a ride. While he is not an alcoholic, we did have a long discussion as a family about his drinking habits. I hope to be a positive role model for my friends and family, and will always offer help if they need a safe alternative to driving themselves.