Teaching the Art of Defensive Driving

What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving?

The process to gain my drivers license was very long, but it was incredibly beneficial. I went to an eight hour class where we learned the basics of how to drive in relation to other people, and afterwards I had three training sessions where an instructor taught me how to drive defensively. This allowed me not only to understand what the rules of the road were, but to also have a professional with me in order to be taught the correct things to do as I was driving. The idea of driving defensively is something that I have heard in passing many times, but learning exactly what that meant and how to implement it has saved my life and my vehicle from many inconsiderate drivers.

The key lesson that I learned while in my driving lessons was to never trust another driver to know what they’re doing. Though this might sound harsh, this is a legitimate way to lessen your chances of getting into a reckless accident due to it making you more conscious of yourself and the drivers around you. On countless occasions, I’ve been at a four way stop, with the right away, and someone will come barrelling through the intersection. If my instructor hadn’t taken me to a four way intersection and instructed me to pause, make eye contact with the person in the other vehicle, and ensure that the other vehicle had stopped, then I wouldn’t have had the knowledge to stay safe in this situation.

The sit-in class, even though it seemed redundant at the time, was actually quite useful in contextualizing why certain laws exist. I’m the kind of person that is always seeking out the reasoning behind rules, so having a teacher sit down and explain to me why it’s so important to understand the laws of the road led me to actually take these rules to heart. Many of the things that my instructor said during that class have stuck with me on the road, as it makes split-second decisions come easier when I know how and why to do them.

Even on a personal level, when I got my needed driving hours in, my father taught me many valuable lessons. I’m a person who cares deeply about animals, and the first time that I was driving and saw a rabbit hopping across the road, I panicked. I aggressively swerved the car in what I thought was the best way to avoid hitting the rabbit. My dad, naturally, was alarmed, and quickly told me to never do that again. Through my objections, he explained that swerving confuses the animals more, and they’re more likely to get hit if the car swerves. Many times after that, I’ve seen an animal in the road and refrained from swerving, no matter how much I want to, because I know that it’s best for me and for the little critter.

One issue that’s more fatal to humans than to animals that’s very prevalent in my area is running red lights. I initially had an issue with realizing when it was and wasn’t okay to keep going when the light was yellow. When I was with my professional instructor, he gave me this advice: You should commit to going when the light turns yellow at two to three car lengths away, in order to avoid both whiplash and fender benders. Aggressive drivers in my area tend to speed through intersections all the time, but the aid of my instructor allows me to drive defensively, and protect both myself and those around me.

Another very prevalent mistake with student drivers in my demographic is distracted drivers. Our phones are created to be as attention-grabbing as possible, so even at the wheel, it’s difficult to stop yourself from checking any notifications. In my driver’s education class, my instructor compared checking your phone to closing your eyes and asked us students if we would be willing to close our eyes for ten seconds on the road. Nearly everyone in the class strongly said no, of course, as that would be incredibly dangerous. In response, the instructor told us that ten seconds was the average time it takes to respond to a text message. Taking your eyes off the road, she told us, was the equivalent of completely closing your eyes, leaving you vulnerable. Even if you think you know the stretch of road you’re on, you never know the drivers you’re sharing that road with.

All this to say that though there’s no guarantee, driver’s education, in both class and personal life, can lead to valuable information that may save your life, another driver’s life, or the life of a poor rabbit. Therefore, I would highly recommend, even if it’s not a requirement, for students my age to take classes such as these. You never know what situations you may encounter on the road, and you may need the advice of an elder driver.