Dear Stephen

Dear, Stephen.

I heard you got your license, Congrats! But there are some things that you should know. Teens are killed disproportionately in motor vehicle accidents than any other group. In fact, teens aged 16-19 are 3x more likely to die in a car accident than other drivers aged 20+. Knowing this, it’s important that you understand why these accidents happen, and how to prevent them. Distracted driving is the leading cause of car accident deaths. Every driver should be aware of what their distracted driving habits are, and how to stop them in order to keep the road safe for everyone.

Now, it’s important to know the most common distracted driving habits, and how to stop them. I know your phone seems to be calling your name at all times but you must never use your phone when driving, especially texting. Remember to always put your phone on silent and away from sight. You can set automatic responses to let people you are driving as well. If you must answer your phone, find a safe space to pull over.

Another common distracted driving habit is eating when driving. While seemingly harmless, eating while driving can severely increase your chances of being in an accident by as much as 80%! Knowing this, you should never eat while driving. Instead, make sure you eat before driving, and if you stop to eat, pull over to a rest area or parking lot. As a bonus, you won’t have the risk of staining that brand new shirt!

Now, I know you like your music, who doesn’t? But you have to turn it down low enough to be aware of your surroundings. Loud music can be distracting and cause you to lose focus on the road potentially leading to an accident. So do everyone a favor and turn down that music.

Make sure you get your beauty sleep. Don’t try to push through the tiredness when driving. Driving while tired can impair vision and reaction time and increases the chances of a crash. Things like opening the windows, blasting the speakers, and drinking coffee are just temporary and dangerous ways to stop being tired. The only true cure for being tired is sleep. Instead of putting yourself and others at risk, if you feel the urge to sleep, pull off to the side of the road and take a quick nap.

Every driver has had an experience on the road that has caused them to get angry at another driver. And as a teen, you are most likely to feel road rage. This feeling is very dangerous as it can distract yourself from driving and can even spark an incident between you and another driver. The best thing to do is keep calm and do your best to de-escalate not only your emotions but those of others. Take a few moments to process your feelings before driving as replaying stressful situations can be distracting and dangerous.

Make sure you take care of these dangerous driving habits with the solutions I taught you. Driving can be a wonderful and liberating thing, but always keep in mind your safety and others around you.

Sincerely, Yourself.