The Key to Safer Roads : Driver’s Education

Driving is deemed a rite of passage to adulthood. It’s a shared human responsibility that must be taken very seriously. Streets, roads, highways are accessible to everyone, therefore as soon as we sit behind the wheel, another person’s life is in our hands. Our actions can potentially affect others and ourselves. We obtain most of this knowledge through driver’s education and training, which studies have shown is a contributing factor to a decrease in accidents.

Drivers education programs teach us common sense, judgment, the rules of the road and defensive driving. This type of program is established to prepare one for what to expect when they start driving. Driver’s education is offered at any highschool in the US. Through a series of classroom-based lessons, textbook readings and written tests, teenage students obtain knowledge about all aspects of driving. There are different drivers ed courses which include those for conventional drivers, motorcyclists, driving with big vehicles like trucks and buses, etc. With a learners permit, you can get behind the wheel and practice how to drive safely on the road under the supervision of a personal driving trainer, a parent, or a trusted individual with a license. After a sufficient amount of practice, you are well equipped to take the drivers test and obtain your license. Drivers ed programs also have online options to assist you to learn at your own pace, however it is important to be enrolled in a state approved DMV course. A good driving training program teaches one how to avoid petty and serious driving mistakes. To name a few, distractions by phone/passengers, forgetting to turn on signals or headlights, etc. Driver’s education helps us cultivate new and improved driving skills. This may include counsel on safe practices such as the importance of seat belts, appropriate medication use behind the wheel, tips on how to follow road signs, and so much more. Most importantly, taking driver’s education exposes us to a myriad of laws and regulations that protect citizen rights, pedestrian rights, workers rights, etc. It’s crucial for us to have a deep level of awareness and understanding when it comes to rights and laws that surround driving because it ensures our safety and the safety of others as well.

My family and I were involved in a traffic collision in 2020. My mom was behind the wheel and I was in the passenger’s seat. Fortunately, it was not fatal. What happened was that my mom was headed north, coming from the south end and she drove through a yellow light that signaled incoming drivers “to yield”. In this case, there was a black Benz that did not adhere to the traffic light. The driver didn’t yield at the yellow sign. Needless to say, he was going at a much faster speed. His car was coming from the west, headed towards the east. As my mom drove straight ahead, his car collided with hers at a perpendicular intersection. My family and I did not endure any injuries and everyone was in their seatbelts. My mom’s car had a slight bump on the passenger side door as a result, but the impact was far worse for the other driver’s car. The front of his car was severely damaged; his headlights, bumper, shield and the grill got shattered due to how fast he sped up. This experience taught me the importance of following speed limits. The other driver was not following the rules, going 5 miles above the speed limit of 50 mph. Another important takeaway from this event is to pay attention to traffic lights and be vigilant of my surroundings ( incoming cars, pedestrians, road signs etc). Lastly, this event taught me that our actions can help decrease the chances of high risk; my mom followed the speed limit, and had she went higher, the collision would’ve been fatal.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that crashes and fatal accidents are highest for individuals ages 16 – 19 than any other group. In 2019, almost 2,400 teens in the United States aged 13–19 were killed and about 258,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes. In 2020, A total of 2,738 teenagers ages 13-19 died in motor vehicle crashes which is 14% more than in 2019. These statistics are meaningful because motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death among teenagers. Research confirms that there’s a trend of reduced teen crashes, traffic violations and tickets as a result of driver’s education.

Parents are a huge contributing factor during this time in a teenagers life, thus should set rules around teens’ driving to ensure their safety. For instance, setting curfews for late night driving is an important preventative measure for new and young drivers. You can find a plethora of free driving resources on city/local driving websites for teens and adults. The CDC has a free download of a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement that puts a parent’s rules in writing to clearly set expectations and limits. That way, there’s conversation between parents and their teen to avoid hazards and consequences for breaking the rules.

Driving safely can help to reduce the severity of accidents, any minor or major misdemeanors. A common driving error is forgetting to turn on headlights at night time which has its negative consequences, therefore, I’ll be mindful of myself and others. Additionally, I can prevent my family and friends from drunk driving by offering them a ride or calling an uber. I can instill in those around me the importance of following the rules of the road by giving honest feedback, constructive criticism or speaking up when something’s wrong. I can make use of the Do Not Disturb feature on my Apple phone while driving to avoid any distractions. Teaching older relatives how to use the Do Not Disturb Feature, driving with seat belts and ensuring that infant passengers are in seatbelts as well, utilizing all mirrors while driving is also helpful etc.

The prompt stated that driving in the US is more deadly than fighting in combat and it speaks so much volume about how careless individuals are behind the wheel. We must hold ourselves responsible for continuing to seek knowledge from Drivers ed resources to avoid these fatalities and to improve the quality of life.