Drivers ed and Its Impact

Drivers ed and Its Impact

By
Maiah Miller

An
educated driver is a safer driver. Many road accidents are caused by
uneducated inexperienced drivers, and that often translates to
younger drivers. Driving is a much more complex task than many
assume, and combined with the oft-imagined idea of invincibility,
teen drivers are not usually as safe as more educated drivers.
Teenagers are the most-represented age group in accidents, and the
lack of education and experience is the culprit.
(1).
Driving
is a combination of basic tasks (steering, applying the break and so
on), plus skills of the higher order such as predicting and avoiding
hazards, and it takes much training and experience to stay safe on
the road.

With
education, less accidents will result in less deaths. Stricter laws
on minimum required driving hours and a higher score on a driving
test with the DMV could have a positive effect on reducing
casualties. Also, driving education should be a requirement in as
many schools as possible. With a professional instructor teaching
classes in schools, this will result in more skilled drivers than if
parents teach their own teens to drive. Generally teens do not listen
as well to their parents as to instructors, and secondly, with an
instructor, teens will not pick up on poor driving habits their
parents have developed over the years.

I
was been in an accident when my friend, then 17, was driving some
friends during lunch break. She was distracted, fiddling with CDs to
get just the right music, and rushing for us to make it back to
school on time. She had poor driving habits and was not nearly
engaged as she should have been, and when a car braked suddenly in
front of us, she crashed into it. We had been too close, and she had
been distracted. With better education and training, this likely
would not have happened, and that concept has stuck with me.

In
order to be a better and safer driver, I myself can remain committed
to driving without distraction. I don’t
use my phone while driving, and try to remain as diligent and aware
of my surroundings as possible. Especially since I have kids in the
car with me most of the time, I am extra cautious and conservative
when it comes to driving. I can, and do, encourage others to do the
same. I kindly but firmly do not let other family members or friends
reach for their phones while driving, and I have no qualms about
requesting more space in front of the vehicle. I will raise my girls
to treat driving with a sense of great responsibility, and will
ensure they get a great education. My teenage feelings of
invincibility are no longer with me, and I know it is my formal
drivers ed and years of experience that has kept me safe on the
road, and will continue to do so.

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Count: 489

(1)
Mayhew
DR,
Simpson HM. The role of driving experience: implications for the
training and licensing of new drivers. Toronto, Ontario: Insurance
Bureau of Canada, 1995