Driver’s Ed: Today and The Future

If you take a good driver education course, you are better prepared to drive defensively and have learned to have confidence in yourself as a driver. You are given instructions, shown

videos on the types of accidents that occur and how to reduce the likelihood of an accident happening.  Driver’s Education teaches you proper speed limits, the dangers of driving under the influence, dangers of distracted driving, the importance of wearing seat belts,driving at a proper distance, the repercussions of alcohol abuse while driving, which cause an overwhelming number of fatal accidents every year.  What needs to be highlighted now is the legality of marijuana in certain states. While it may be permitted to purchase and use for medicinal and recreational purposes, it still negatively impacts driving. A spotlight needs to be put on the fact that it does influence your coordination while driving, and it is considered to be “driving under the influence.”

A good driver education course can help new drivers with skills that are important to safely operate a car, skills that someday may help a driver maneuver their way out of an accident. Something that isn’t covered, but should be, is safety when driving at night. Driver’s Education programs need to give more guidance on what to do if you believe a car is following you or if you are unsure if it is truly a police vehicle asking you to pull over. This is a valid situation that young drivers are not equipped to handle sensibly. I recently attended a presentation called Driving In The Safe Lane, where they bring local real-life examples to life. They spoke about many accidents that occurred due to distracted driving and drinking and driving. One girl was forever paralyzed. Another girl killed a little boy who was walking with his mother and dog on the sidewalk. Now she has to live with that. These are examples that are going to stay with me, and stop me from texting and driving. I believe that the car manufacturers and the government can be a large component in assisting in reducing fatal casualties each year. Car manufacturers need to address the expanding electronic devices that cause distracted driving on a daily basis. Many accidents are caused by people simply stopping for a second to read/reply to a text. Car manufacturers should promote using Siri or bluetooth as a safer and easier way to reply to text messages/calls. The government needs to implement safer roads, if there is a section of the city where accidents occur constantly, then speed bumps could be installed, a traffic circle is another way to slow down traffic, mandatory inspections for safer vehicles on the roads, and they need to target repeated unsafe drivers.

I am happy to say that I am one of the fortunate ones that I have never experienced a car crash or been in a car with someone who is driving irresponsible. However, I am a new driver, so I haven’t experienced too much yet. I do see a good number of ignorant driver’s on the road, especially on highways. A topic that isn’t addressed as much is elderly driving. For example, my grandfather took car keys and drove my dad’s car, and he ended up getting confused and lost. The elderly cannot react as quickly so he could’ve hurt himself or another driver. To prevent situations like this from occurring there should be some type of process, such as requiring elderly people to retake the road test. DMV’s should institute a refresher course, along with required eye tests when a driver’s license expires. This would cover the evolution of cars and new technology (phones, GPS systems).

As a future driver, I am proud to say that I have taken a safety drivers course, and I have learned about the proper use of safety belts for me and my passengers. In addition to, driving at the proper speed limits, the use of turning signals when changing lanes, keeping focused on my driving, not texting while driving, and never driving too close to the car ahead of you. Also, you should never drive if you are tired or feel drowsy. Other things that I learned was that having good driving habits also increases the longevity of your vehicle. I am confident in what to do if I am in an accident, the information I need to get from the other driver and vice versa. Good driving habits avoid accidents which add up to costly repairs. At the end of the day, you cannot control other drivers, but you do have control over your own car and your own driving behavior.