A Good Driver’s Ed

The first thing I remember learning in my driver’s ed course was that car accidents are the number one killer of 16- to 18-year-olds. Driver’s education ensures that everyone has all the knowledge (and perhaps the healthy dose of fear) they need before going on the road. There is a reason that it is mandatory to take a course before anyone can receive their license in New York. A lot of people will admit to not having read the driver’s manual and without a class, where would they be? I took my first driver’s ed course in Pennsylvania because that is where I lived at the time. It was 40 hours of instruction taken over a few weeks in early 2020. Before I was able to take my permit test, the pandemic hit, and my family relocated to New York State. I had to take driver’s ed again in New York, but this time, it was only a one-session 5-hour course. I learned to drive in both states, and the difference between Pennsylvania and New York drivers is obvious.
My driver’s ed instructor in Pennsylvania was very intentional in making sure we understood that car accidents are the leading cause of death for our age group. All the students had to understand our responsibilities on the road as drivers and pedestrians. In New York, they brushed over general rules and did not really emphasize the importance of people’s lives when we are on the road. We didn’t learn the necessity of defensive driving. At times, the Pennsylvania class was overwhelming because we would see testimonies of people who lost someone in a car accident or videos of brutal crashes. Those images and stories stick in your head and emphasize the importance of safety.
However, driver’s education is more than seeing videos of cars crashing. The course is about understanding the rules of the road, having a safe place to ask questions, and making better drivers. I think that understanding and learning the fundamentals of how to drive should not be overestimated. The problem with the New York driver’s ed is that the instructor assumed that all of the students already knew what he was talking about and that is not the correct approach. We should be able to break driving down in a classroom setting the way we do with every other subject. People get caught up in the idea that you need to be on the road to learn and while that is true, getting on the road without having a plan in place is a setup for disaster. If you are not aware of what all the signs mean or what defensive driving looks like, or how to recognize when something is not right in your car, you will immediately struggle to drive. This is the importance of a good driver’s ed. There is a reason that insurance rates (at least in Pennsylvania) go down when someone has taken driver’s ed and it is because when someone has separated the time to learn all these things, they are less likely to be involved in a car accident.
I mentioned earlier about one’s responsibilities as a pedestrian. I think many deaths can be prevented if people simply were more aware of the world around them. Both pedestrians and drivers fall prey to being distracted by their phones. Accidents do not have a cure-all; it involves everyone. All people need to be more aware of the world around them and the rules that govern our world, such as when to cross and turn, in order to prevent accidents. My mom was in three car accidents in one year. She was rear-ended all three times. While it might be easy to blame her for breaking very quickly, the fault can also be placed on the people behind her who failed to keep a safe following distance. There are so many rules in place and for some reason people feel as though they are okay to ignore them. This is especially encouraged under the guise of “as long as you don’t get caught”. The longer someone drives, the more they feel free to loosen up with the rules because the only consequence they fear would be getting caught by a police officer. I think the key to being a better or safer driver is remembering what is more at stake when you drive recklessly.

Safety on the road comes with reviewing the correct information with friends and family. We must start checking speed limit signs instead of assuming we already know, or Googling what a flashing yellow light means rather than wondering every time we approach one. We need to stop being afraid of asking “dumb” questions and start being afraid of becoming dangerous drivers. Sharing “basic” rules with each other and correcting small behaviors when driving with people you trust will help the road become a safer place. Even if it means going back to take a really good driver’s ed course.