You pass the test, but then what?

Every year in Canada, over 1,250 people die, and an estimated 63,000 people are injured as a result of impairment-related crashes alone. Also, every year, many more people are injured and even die as a result of simply not understanding the rules of the road thoroughly. In New Brunswick, Canada, there are two driver tests you must pass before you are allowed on the road alone, and after that you must wait almost two years before you are issued your full license. If you take a drivers education course which amounts to around $800, they cut the amount of time it takes for you to get through the first two tests, and they also cut the amount of time it takes to be given your full license after receiving your learners permit. This is a good system as it encourages people to take a driver’s education course. However, it is not necessary to take a driver’s education course at all in order to get a driver’s license. In New Brunswick, as long as you can pass those two initial tests and never get stopped by police within the first two years of having your learners permit, you have a full drivers license. This may seem like a lot of steps for someone who doesn’t understand the rules of the road to get through, but more people get through it than you may think. Studies have shown that on average 75 % of people believe they are better drivers than they are.

I believe steps we could take to ensure that people understand the rules of the road is to have free driver’s education, so that those who cannot afford driver’s education valued at over $800 can get an understanding of the rules of the road. I also think that to maintain the safety of all drivers, every person should be required to retake the driver’s education tests every 10 or 15 years. Perhaps for instance if you get your full license at 19, then in 20 years you have to retake your test, at which point you would be 39, then in another 15 years retake the drivers test again at 54, and then in another ten years at 64 take the test again. After the age of 65, drivers should retake the driver’s test every five years. I believe that this measure would reduce the number of deaths related to driving since more people would be aware of the real rules of the road, as there are quite a few common misconceptions that get passed on when people do not take drivers’ education. For instance, a few myths in New Brunswick are that you must wait until the merge lane ends to merge and that you may pass multiple cars at a time when not in a passing lane. These misconceptions, which are passed down from generation to generation, lead to horrible and fatal accidents. We cannot forget that rules of the road also change every now and then; therefore it is important to retake the test, as I have indicated above.

I believe the rules which should be emphasized by the free version of the drivers education course are the most common reasons for driving related fatalities, for instance the importance of; seatbelts, the right of way, how to properly check your mirrors, how to ensure the car is safe to drive, as well as things to be avoided such as using your phone while driving or driving under the impairment of only of drugs or alcohol, but also of tiredness.

Personally, I have never been involved in a car accident; however, my mother was hit by a car because, in a double lane, someone decided to stop and let someone out of a driveway – which is illegal to stop on the road for no reason – and that person pulled out of their driveway into the second land -which is also illegal as you should always be pulling into the lane closest to you. This resulted in them hitting my mother from the side. Luckily there was a police officer right behind my mother, and she said he was a very angry man that day. He fined both of the drivers, the one who stopped to let someone out of their driveway in a two-lane road and the driver who pulled into the second lane.

I believe that spreading information about driving laws and educating yourself on any new rules of the road is imperative to remain a safe driver. Keeping the newest copy of the driver’s manual on hand is never a bad choice.