Safer roads in Florida are possible
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The Problem
Teens make up 7% of drivers on Floridian roads, but are involved in 25% of the car accidents.
In 2016 alone, Florida saw 395,785 traffic incidents. That averages out to 1,081 car accidents per day.
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In that same year, there were more than 350 vehicular fatalities between the ages of 16 and 24.
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What are the causes?
The requirements to get a driver's license in Florida are far too simple, allowing unqualified drivers out onto the streets with the rest of the world.
The pre-testing requirements - fifty hours of supervised behind-the-wheel training, with at least ten of those hours at night - are almost impossible to verify, and the behind-the-wheel test is laughably easy.
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We know this is a problem with Florida specifically because, in 2020, Florida had the 3rd highest number of car accident fatalities. Compare this to a state like Massachusetts with more rigorous pre-license requirements who had less than 10% of the fatalities in the same year.
The Solution
Florida needs to make simple changes such as creating a more rigorous behind-the-wheel driver's test and requiring a proper driver's education course before giving a person their license.
What would a solution like that actually cost?
To change the driver's test itself would take minimal cost for the Floridian government, and the overall economic results would likely be positive.
There is a manual and training that is required for every proctor. This manual is frequently updated, usually annually. Changing the requirements would be as simple as updating the manual. Retraining the current proctors would be more complicated than updating a book and may even have some significant costs. However, these costs are minor in comparison to the countless lives that could be saved by these simple changes.
Not to mention, requiring a proper driver's education course before the driver is given their license would drastically boost the driver's education business. This would produce more jobs and introduce more money into the market while making the roads safer.
What does a "proper driver's education course" entail?
Again to reference Massachusetts' rules, a driver's education course should have about 30 hours of classroom education as well as roughly 12 hours of instructor-led behind-the-wheel training. This assures that the people who are getting their licenses have a proper foundation in driving safety and rules, along with instructor-led driving excursions being a safer option by nature, since those instructors must be certified safe enough to teach. By implementing these requirements for the programs, Florida will optimize the effectiveness of the existing programs. Regulations like these help to lower the risks taken in any driver and to implement them in every driver would make Floridian roads significantly safer.
