Why is Drivers Ed Important?

Why is
Drivers Ed Important?

Drivers
education is one of the most vital necessities in one’s life to
prevent the number of accidents and deaths that occur in a year due
to driving. Engaging in drivers ed benefits one with the
knowledge of being a safe driver, and prevents you from damaging your
life and those of the ones around you. Roughly 1.25 million people
die as a result of driving accidents a year. This number is
incredibly high, and can only be reduced if one takes the time to
engage in completing drivers ed.

The
importance of taking drivers’ education throughout one’s life is
remarkably important to prevent the number of deaths that are caused
by those who don’t. In a study conducted by the University of
Nebraska, professor Duane Shelle recorded statistics that back up the
fact that those who take drivers ed are less likely to have a
fatal car crash than those who do not. In this study, Shelle reviewed
the records of 151,800 teen drivers and found that 12.9% of the teens
who did not take the course had been in a fatal car crash. Based on
these results, parents and educators must encourage teens to engage
in a drivers ed class, one thing that can save the lives of
millions. Now that statistics have backed up that drivers ed
classes can save lives, some steps that can reduce the number of
driving-related fatalities are to enforce the subject in school.

History,
mathematics, English, etc. are all core subjects one must learn to
thrive in their educational lives. However, we fail to acknowledge
that driving education is also vital to one’s success. After the age
of 18, drivers’ education class is no longer mandatory. These people
who then go on to receive their license with no driving knowledge are
the ones who tend to get in the most accidents and have
driving-related accidents. Some steps that can be taken to avoid such
accidents are to enforce drivers’ education as a needed class in
highschool. As teens begin to grow, they come to learn driving can be
an exciting experience. Being risk-takers, their age groups are the
ones who have the most fatal car accidents in the nation. Involving
drivers ed into their daily studies can significantly reduce
the accidents they are prone to have in the future without drivers’
education.

Personally,
some of the people I have noted who have suffered due to a lack of
education in driving is my close friend who I have known for over ten
years. Last year she turned eighteen and had not taken driver
education to earn her license at 16. Instead, she waited to turn
eighteen, and take the drivers test with no prior knowledge of
driving fundamentals. Although I encouraged her to take the course,
she neglected the idea, and two months later, she suffered the
consequences. Although she got her license, she had been gaining
daily experience by herself with no drivers ed. She drove to
school every day and sadly crashed her car into another as she did
not know how one specific intersection functioned. Because of her
decision to not take drivers ed, she got into an accident
that could have been avoided and demonstrates just how large the toll
can be if one does not take this class throughout their life. Now
that I ask her, she regrets not having taken drivers ed, as the price
she had to pay was much larger than she would have ever dreamed.

One
step that I can personally take to become a better driver, and safer
on the road is to advocate the need for drivers ed. As an
eighteen-year-old, the friends I have around me have proven to be
reckless drivers, and commonly do not practice safe driving. This
only motivates me to encourage them to take drivers ed, and
advocate it to those who are younger than them, and whom they care
about. Additionally, some other things that I can also do include
continuing to obey driving laws, always drive in a conscious and
healthy condition, and most importantly, encourage those around me to
take a drivers ed course to maintain their knowledge of being a safe
driver to save the lives of millions on the road.