Importance of Traffic Safety Education at the School Level
Table of Contents
Introduction
Traffic safety education at the school level is meant to provide the students with lifetime skills for maneuvering in the public roads and highways. The importance of learning these skills at school level is increasing, since more and more students are nowadays driving to school. Those not driving are riding either bicycles or motorcycles. All of these kinds of students need to be provided with special education on their safety and the safety of other road users when they are on the road. Traditionally, this has been integrated into the school systems, and students have benefited from them. The last ten years have shown a marked reduction in overall traffic accidents and fatalities.
We will write acustom essay on your topictailored to your instructions!
189experts online
But with the ongoing financial crisis, the rules are changing. What was previously treasured for its invaluable contribution to the safety of the general public is now being regarded only in terms of its budgetary requirements. And, in the backdrop of what is regarded as more crucial needs, traffic education in school has slowly begun to be discarded. There is simply no luxury budget to accommodate this course. This says something about the financial priorities within Washington. Perhaps the information divulged herein will serve to persuade all concerned bodies that continued support for the driving program is critical.
Current trends
Observations show that more and more students are being enrolled into secondary schools having reached the legal driving age. There are several reasons for this. For one, more students are completing year 12 of learning. Secondly, there is an increase in the number of students who are commuting between school and work as part-time students. Then lastly, the number of students who live independently from their parents has increased considerably. These factors, combined, have resulted in a marked increase in the total number of students driving to school.
Besides the students already driving to school, there is a huge majority of other young people who, daily, have to grapple with the ever increasing traffic snarl ups. These young people need to be able to maneuver their way through the traffic of the cities, and any knowledge they may have about safety comes to play then. Withdrawing a course that teaches them how to survive in the highways then is like denying them a chance to exercise their rights on the roads. After all, if the young people don’t know their rights, they aren’t likely to defend them, even when they are clearly taken advantage of by other road users. For example, pedestrians have fundamental rights. Without knowledge of these rights, they can easily be mistreated on the roads without any legal recourse.
Young people and driving
Now young drivers show a conscious attempt at driving carefully. They have an inherent need to prove that they can handle themselves on the highways. They are also likely to be more observant about any changes within the environment out and within the car. But despite this, their relative inexperience and certain habits derived from their youthful culture make them some of the most vulnerable driver groups. In addition, they pose higher risks of crash accidents when they travel as groups in the cars. Overall, young drivers in their first year of driving are thrice as likely as experienced people to suffer from road accidents (TAC, 2004). In fact, the most significant cause of death amongst young people between 15-25 years is road accidents.
On-time delivery!
Get your 100% customized paperdone in as little as 1 hour
There are several reasons why young people are at high risk of road accidents. As already said, they are inexperienced. This particular factor is compounded by the fact that most of them tend to perceive themselves as more competent than they actually are. Hence, they tend to take more risks when driving. They, on average, tend to drive for long distances, disregarding road and environmental conditions, and even their own physical conditions like exhaustion. Most of them are also driven by sensation-seeking motivations. Young people carrying other passengers have in particular been observed to be more likely to get involved in accidents. All these factors make these young drivers potential hazards, as long as they are ignored by the education system.
According to statistics gathered during 2006 and 2007, young people have the highest fatalities resulting from road accidents. The 21-3