Henry McKlin-===
February, 2015
The Importance of Driver’s Education for Teens
Many teenagers suffer serious injury or death from simply not understanding basic driver’s education and/or failing to be a defensive driver. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an average of 6 teenagers die daily in the United States from injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes. This number would, without a doubt, be lower if they understood how to stay attentive and alert to what is happening on the roads at all times and eliminate distractions. Driver’s Education also improves students preparation for emergencies that can happen on the road. It is extremely important for teens that are ready to drive to fully and thoroughly understand the rules of the road and know how to be prepared for whatever happens on the road.
Distractions come in many different forms to teenage drivers, which makes these distractions a leading cause for serious injury or death amongst them. Out of all the potential distractions that teenage drivers can face if not prepared, social distractions are among the worst. The worst of these distractions is texting and driving, because it requires focusing eyes on the screen, thinking about what you are typing, and using at least one of your hands to type. All of these distractions make for an illegal and potentially dangerous incident. Another major social distraction is having friends in the car with you while driving. A rigorous driver’s education will allow students to understand the laws around social distractions and understand that texting and driving is illegal and the limits on how many non-familial passengers one may have in their car.
Driver’s Education also shows all of the extreme risks of being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol while driving. According to the CDC, in 25% of fatal motor vehicle injuries amongst teens they had been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. There are stories after stories that are being told to teenage drivers that help further influence the importance to abstain from drugs and alcohol. Although it may seem like elementary knowledge, drivers education provides facts as to why wearing seat belts while driving can be life-saving. For example, in 71% of fatal car injuries in the United States, the driver was not wearing a seat belt. These stories and facts that are being provided to teens will highlight why they must stay away from distractions while on the road.
Rigorous driver’s education programs teach students what to do in the case of an emergency while on the road. These life lessons are valuable to a student driver as they start to drive because they will ride confidently, knowing that they are prepared for any emergency that could happen.
I often ride with my brother, who is a licensed 17 year old, and he reminds me of a rule that he learned in driver’s education as that same rule plays into effect on the road. This is proof that a punctilious driver’s education program is quite relevant and important for teen drivers. All in all, teenage driver education is an important, relevant, and powerful influence on the safety of teenage drivers and the safety of everyone else on the road.
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