The Importance of Drivers Education & Ways to Prevent Accidents

I believe driver’s ed is necessary to prevent car accidents and fatalities. However, when I took my driver’s ed course, most of my peers did not take the class seriously. Even when they got their license, many disregarded numerous regulations established for drivers under 18. Many people believe that as long as they do not get caught, it does not matter. Traffic laws keep people safe, yet many disregard them; most do not even follow the speed limit. Because I fear getting into an accident, I am a pretty safe driver, but that does not mean I am safe. It does not matter how careful I am if others are not as careful as me; there are always potential dangers because of everyone around you. Teaching future drivers about the dangers of driving is the best way to prevent as many car crashes as possible, at least for future drivers. However, I believe there are other ways to avoid car accidents. The top three causes of collisions are distracted driving, speeding, and driving under the influence. If we solved these issues, it would immensely lessen the number of accidents.

Now, distracted driving is troublesome to avoid. Humans are curious creatures by nature. If we see something interesting, then naturally, our attention is diverted. However, when our mind is distracted, so is our body; because of this, distracted drivers lack control over the vehicle and consequently could crash. Because of this, it is challenging to prevent distracted driving collisions. The best, and probably the only way to thwart an accident from occurring, is for drivers to ignore all distractions that could hinder their driving ability.

Another cause of collisions is speeding, which is the driver at fault. Speeding can be caused by traffic congestion, running late, or general disregard for the law. Traffic congestion speeding is tough to prevent as it solely relies on the patience of all the drivers stuck in traffic. Humans have very little patience in the first place, so unfortunately, it would be challenging to prevent speeding from happening. However, running late could easily be avoided if people pushed to be early; if you give yourself extra time, you feel less stressed and have no reason to speed, notably reducing the risk of an accident. The final example is simply the disregard for the law. It would only be possible to prevent these types of accidents if law enforcement became stricter about speeding. However, that would be incredibly ambitious as almost everyone goes over the speed limit; it would be impossible for law enforcement to stop everyone. Of course, the easy solution would be for people to stop speeding altogether; unfortunately, in this society, too many care only for themselves and have little regard for those around them, so it will never happen.

The final example is driving under the influence. If people limited how much they drank, collisions caused by drunk drivers could easily be prevented. Typically three drinks would impair the senses and mobility of a person, and although you legally still can drive, it would be too dangerous. One possible solution to prevent drunk driving would be to limit the driver to only two drinks. Restricting the amount of alcohol one can consume would immensely reduce the number of accidents on the road. Unfortunately, most people will not willingly limit the amount of alcohol they can have. The only way would be through legal means, which American history shows does not work. My idea is to raise the price after each drink. Then if a driver with a BAC level of 0.08 g/dl or more would have to wait until the alcohol has left their bloodstream. Another option could be calling them a ride with the extra charge for any additional drinks they had, but calling them a ride might not work as they might not be able to list their address, and the additional charge might not be enough to get them home. However, it is still better than letting them drive themselves home while intoxicated. Many probably wouldn’t like this, but it would lessen the number of accidents.

In the end, most, if not all, accidents are preventable. If drivers were more careful, we could enormously reduce accidents caused by reckless driving. But in the end, it is up to us individually to decide how we want to drive: responsibly or recklessly. If you choose to be a reckless driver, the rest can only hope no one gets hurt.