Teen Drivers Can Be Safe Drivers: Safe Drivers Saves Lives

Becoming a teen driver can really be the highlight of your teen years. I received my license at 16 and because I took a driving class offered by my high school, I was able to get my senior driver’s license at 17. Watching your parents and others drive makes driving look very easy. You never realize all the distractions that occur while you’re driving. As a teen driver you must be able to block-out or minimize your distractions while you drive. Safe driving can save your life, and the lives of others on the road.

Some of the things we can do as teen drivers are:

• Don’t drive after using alcohol, drugs, or other illegal substances.

• Only people allowed by the license should be in the car with you.

• No eating or drinking while driving.

• Play music softly so you can hear what’s going on around you. Including sirens, horns or other hazards.

• Seat belt use by everyone in the car.

• Try not to drive at night. Driving when it’s dark is more demanding. It’s been studied and teens who drive at night are four times more likely to die in a car crash at night, then they would be driving during the day. Cities with curfews for teens, their fatality rate has gone down by ¼.

• Try not to drive while upset, tired, or anxious.

• No talking on a phone while driving.

• No texting while driving.

• If you need to check for directions (GPS or phone) pull somewhere that is safe to check devices.

• Follow the speed limit and all of the road signs.

• No picking up strangers.

• Leave early to your destination so you don’t have to rush. Rushing causes carelessness.

You may say that looks like a lot of restrictions for teen drivers, but being new at something always comes with limitation. Sometimes we’re not sure about the rules of the road. Sometimes we’re not sure about handling the car. Sometimes we’re not sure about where we’re headed, or how to get there. Our lack of experience driving can be stressful enough, and we can be totally overloaded and panic when other factors, like distractions are added.

My brother says I am a slow driver. That’s totally fine with me. I rather take my time and make it to my destination in one piece. I leave early to where I need to go. My parents always tell me that rushing will lead to you being careless or speeding and that can cause an accident. There may be times when things can’t be avoided (snow, ice, road conditions) but as a teen driver I do my best to limit the things within my control, so that I can be a safe driver.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. The leading causes for teen crashes are: driver inexperience, driving with passengers, night driving, not using seat belts, distracted driving, drowsy driving, reckless driving, and impaired driving. Experience comes with time, but the rest of the items on the list are things that can be controlled. I do my best to limit passengers (my brother or parents are my only allowed passengers). I only drive at night when necessary. I always use seatbelts as this saves lives. I try my best to limit distractions and I don’t drive drowsy, or reckless, nor do I use drugs.

I did research regarding teen drivers and some of the facts about crashes, injuries, and fatalities are astonishing:

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.

• About 2,800 teens ages 13–19 lost their lives in car crashes in 2020. That’s an average of eight teens a day.

• Teen drivers ages 16–19 have a fatal crash rate almost three times as high as drivers ages 20 and older, per mile driven.

• Driver inexperience is a leading contributor to crashes and injuries for teen drivers.

• Crash risk is particularly high during the first months that teen drivers have their license.

• Nighttime driving is riskier than daytime driving for all ages. However, nighttime driving is even more dangerous for teen drivers.

• In 2019, over 40% of U.S. high school students did not always wear a seat belt when riding in a car driven by someone else.

As a teen driver, I do my best to prevent motor vehicle crashes and accidents. My parents taught me about driver safety and hopefully this essay can jump start more parents to take action and discuss safe driving with their teen. Hopefully, this essay inspires more teens to think about the dangers of driving recklessly, distracted, drowsy, and without seatbelts and driving with other impairments. Driving is a privilege and not a right and with the privilege comes responsibilities. Teen drivers (really all drivers) have the responsibility to drive carefully to protect their own life, and the lives of others on the road. We can all share the road and be good drivers if we take the right precautions.