Name: Lindsey Londono
From: Oakland Park, FL
Votes: 0
It
is a well-known statistic that teenagers are more likely to get in an
accident than any other age group. This can be because of the fact
that teenagers, the age group that most people get their driver’s
license or permit, are not as accustomed to driving compared to
someone older than them. They do not have as much experience, which
means that driving is not some sort of habit or instinct to them.
Since they are still in the learning stages of driving, they must be
more attentive on the road. This is what makes driving education
important when it comes to reducing the number of deaths as a result
of driving. It can be seen that in the states of Florida and New
York, the passenger that accompanies someone with a permit to drive
must be a license holding 21 year old, while on the other hand
California law states that the 25 year old passenger must have a
license. Amongst these states, Texas is the one with the strictest
laws when it comes to practicing with a permit. Their laws state that
those who accompany someone with a permit must be their parent or
legal guardian. These steps are to ensure that those behind the wheel
are in a safe environment to learn how to drive.
States
have laws in terms of alcohol and drug prohibition when behind the
wheel. A problem that we are facing in our country today is that with
the recent legalization of marijuana, there is not much research
about the effects it has on drivers. Even though a large amount of
people drive while they are high on the drug, it does not mean it is
safe because it is also known that in drug test done after being
stopped for driving under the influence a large portion of those are
whom had been smoking marijuana. It either gives drivers so much
amount of confidence that they speed or know that they are high and
try to be extra careful, resulting in them driving so slow that it is
unsafe for other drivers. Sleepiness and drowsiness are factors that
can cause deaths, but are still legal.
Falling
asleep behind the wheel or even closing your eyes for too long can
result in a dangerous situation for not only the driver but also
those around them. Since students are the ones who have to get up the
earliest for their days, compared to an adult who works a nine to
five job, they tend tend to be more susceptible to sleep deprivation
than any other age group, especially when they have to stay up late
doing schoolwork. I have personally experienced friends almost
getting into accidents because of tired they were, but it is still
legal to drive sleep deprived. To stop this, states should place more
regulations when it comes to driving sleepy, the same way they are
also attempting to stop the act of texting and driving.
