Learn It. Use It. Encourage It.

Driving education in the U.S. is vital to keeping our roads safe. With increasing distractions such as smartphones, apple watches, and car display screens there are endless things for drivers to look at other than the road. It is extremely important that we educate our youth on not only the rules of the road, but also the dangers of distracted driving and its possible effects on you and the people around you. Another danger on the road is impaired driving whether that be alcohol or illegal drug use. The propensity of these substances to impair a driver’s ability to properly drive a vehicle is an extreme danger to not only drivers, but also other people on the road.

From 1998-2002 the US experienced an average of 20,454 alcohol related car crashes per year. This is an average of 410 alcohol related crashes per state per year. In my home state of Ohio the laws have changed dramatically since then, yet we still experienced 1,068 alcohol related car deaths in 2022. Alcohol is the leading cause of traffic fatalities and solutions must be created in order to curb the effects. Stricter laws and enforcement will help to solve the issue, but the largest influencing factor will be educating our youth on the dangers and warning signs. Changing the patterns of adults can be difficult, but installing the information in our youth can help to spark gradual change.

In my community we have a D.A.R.E. program in which we learn the dangers of drugs and alcohol as well as the possible negative side effects of partaking in such activities. This program was very influential in my life. The graphic images and videos were not only influential, but scare many people out of ever participating in these activities. Although my program was very impactful, not all students have the same opportunities. The D.A.R.E. program is currently offered in all 50 states, but not all schools choose to participate or have resource officers that are dedicated to truly making a difference. Another successful program in educating our youth about roadway safety is Safety Town. This is a program children attend before going into Kindergarten. It teaches the rules of the road and importance of roadway safety. This program helps educate our youth on the dangers of unsafe driving and helps our youth encourage their parents to drive safely. Another tool we can use to improve roadway safety is to mandate all driving courses to be taken in person and not online. In Ohio, students are required to take a 24 hour driving class in order to receive their license. Many students opt to do this online rather than in person. This form of online education is often quickly clicked through and therefore students are not actually retaining the information. Requiring all students to attend in person classes would improve overall engagement and knowledge of roadway safety.

Although I have not personally been involved in a serious accident I have seen my friends go through this before. There are two accidents in particular that have truly impacted my life and the way I think about driving. The first was my roommate who broke both hips and was hospitalized for a month after her boyfriend fell asleep behind the wheel. After falling asleep their car accelerated off of the highway into a tree. Her boyfriend faced minor injuries, but she was critically injured and had to endure multiple months of physical therapy after the accident. The second accident was one that occurred in my hometown. A group of girls in my brother’s grade were driving to the gas station to get slushies on the last day of school. They were videoing the driver speeding and swerving for fun on the road. Ultimately, her car went off the road hitting a tree and killing a girl in the car who was not wearing a seatbelt. This accident had a deep impact on my community and a new set of laws was instituted regarding the amount of people allowed in a car if the driver is under the age of 18 in my town.

The impacts of driving related accidents can affect people for their entire life. The lives lost can never be revived, but it is important to carry on their legacy through proper roadway safety education and strict enforcement of laws. One way I can be a better driver is by working harder to not get distracted. I can do this in a variety of ways such as lowering the music, driving less passengers, and setting my phone out of arm’s reach while driving. Doing all of these things will not only protect me, but also my passengers and other drivers on the road. We can not control other drivers, but we can try our best to educate all youth on the rules of the road and encourage the people we know to practice safe driving on a daily basis.