Education is Life-Saving

On average 102 crashes occur each day and about 90 people die in
them. Almost everyone knows someone who has been in an accident, some
more critical than others.

Research offered by the University of Nebraska in Lincoln has shown
that taking drivers ed is very important. Their research has
shown that people who did not take drivers ed are 75% more
likely to get a traffic ticket, 24% more likely to get a fatal
injury and 16% more likely to have caused an accident. People that
take drivers ed have fewer car accidents and tickets.
Knowing these statistics reveals how much the drivers ed course
affects people’s awareness on how to drive more cautiously, which
leads to fewer accidents.

In 2016, there was an average of 102 car accidents per day, which is
around 34,000 crashes a year. Personally I have experienced several
minor accidents while being a passenger as well as a driver. Living
in a rural area, most of these incidents involved wild animals like
deer, turkey and smaller animals crossing the road, however, I was
taught how to react to these critters so the damage was minimal.
Finally, I have also been in two accidents where cars collided at
intersections, both due to another driver’s careless decisions. The
scariest accident was when I was driving and turned right while I had
a green light, but a car came from across the road and turned left,
pushing me onto the curb. Knowing you cannot control other drivers,
the simplest step I can recommend and take is to be aware of all your
surroundings and remove any distractions while driving. Make sure the
driver is focused on the road and not the passengers’ needs or have
others in the car check the driver’s phone if there is an
emergency. Remember not all messages need to be responded to right
away, focusing on the road is more important.

Personally, taking the drivers ed gave me the knowledge of
how to drive safely and the importance of it. Every class, my teacher
would update a number on the board of how many accidents have
occurred and how many people have died in Wisconsin car accidents.
Some steps I thought that could be taken to reduce that number
require the government’s or the town´s help. Instead of only having
services like Uber in big cities, have them started in small towns.
This can help reduce the risk of underage kids driving and drunk
adults behind the wheel. Another idea that could be taken is making
drivers ed cheaper, so poorer families can afford it. Or having
insurance companies, lower rates for teen drivers if they prove they
took a drivers ed course. A simpler way to make sure teens take
drivers ed is to make it mandatory in schools. Hopefully, this
will reduce the number of deaths caused by car accidents.