Imagine stepping into a large metal box, with wheels attached, and agreeing to hurdle down a long patch of asphalt at a hundred miles per hour. This sounds absurd. It sounds like a death trap. However, this is powerful metal box, also known as a car, is a machine used by nearly every American citizen. Not only that, but many of these vehicles are operated by impaired drivers, which only serves to increase the danger for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. 

An impaired driver is typically thought of as someone who is intoxicated or high. However, the number of crashes which are unrelated to substance abuse prove that drivers can be impaired in other ways. For example, the rise of texting while driving steals attention of the driver, therefore slowing their reaction time. Furthermore, cars are becoming increasingly sophisticated, which often means including large screens and extra buttons, which can serve as a distraction for drivers. Many other factors such as music, children, or even one’s thoughts, can negatively impact a driver’s ability to maintain complete focus on their task. Ultimately, a driver is impaired if they are distracted from driving safely in any way. The primary way I have experienced this as a driver is fatigue. Making long drives can sometimes be necessary, but proper rest must be a priority, as tiredness slows reaction time and judgement significantly. One summer, I was driving a friend home from camp, which was a four-hour drive. Because I had work the next day, I had to go there and back in one day. This experience heightened my awareness of the true dangers of driving because I experienced how quickly my attentiveness dropped when my tiredness rose. I found myself making more and more reckless decisions. What was even more terrifying, was that I didn’t even realize it until after I was done driving. I could have crashed, killing myself, my passengers, and the people in the other car. Even worse, this lack of awareness is not isolated to my life. Many drivers of all ages make rash choices, whether it be because of fatigue, other distractions, or even just a desire to get somewhere fast. Raising awareness of the high mortality caused by this poor judgement is the first step towards changing the narrative. We have the power to protect our nation from dangerous driving, but it will take effort, both from educators and students.  

People don’t often consider how easily they can be unsafe drivers. Drivers' education is a wonderful opportunity to spread awareness about this alarming reality. My personal drivers’ ed experience was beneficial, even though I approached it as a means to an end. I wanted my license, so I did what was required. However, throughout the process, I realized how unequipped and overconfident I was before taking the course. I believe in-person drivers’ ed is far superior to online, because it forces students to be more engaged, as well as allowing teachers opportunity to teach the important topic in more engaging ways. I, especially, needed drivers’ education because I have spent my teenage years living overseas. Therefore, moving back for college is a big transition that will necessitate a lot of driving in a world that I’m not used to. Participating in drivers’ ed meant that I learned how to do this with an instructor in the car with me, which was essential. Having my instructor with me while I actually learned to drive took the theory from the classroom and helped me apply it to the road. Without this experience, I believe the value of taking the class would have decreased significantly, as I am a teenager and probably would have just learned the information for the test and then forgetting it all. Not all states require this, but I believe this step is one of the most important parts of ensuring young drivers aren’t equivalent to unsafe drivers.  

Finally, I believe that creating an environment of informed young people will be a huge step toward lowering the driving mortality rate in the United States. I will be part of changing this narrative by speaking up in unsafe driving situations, rather than letting friends and family make reckless choices. In addition to this, I can personally apply the things I’ve learned in drivers’ education, allowing myself to become a progressively better and safer driver. Changes are not born from desire; they’re born from action. If we truly want road safety to increase, we have to participate in bringing about these changes.