Phones in the Driver Seat!

Should we worry about dangerous driving habits, particularly texting or using social media while driving amongst teenagers?

Well, of course, we should! There are so many ways it should be explored to reduce these bad habits. First, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 3,000 teens are killed a year because they are distracted. Starting at the age of 11, students should be introduced to the dangers of driving while distracted. This should be instilled in their brains at an early age so that by the time they become a teenager it will make them aware of the dangers of texting or using social media while driving. I feel that there should be an app that every parent should download on their teenagers’ phones that will enable texting and social media to be used when it detects that the phone is in a car and in motion. So that means that if the student is in the car with another teenager, they cannot use their phone either. However, if the teen is in the car with a parent, they will be able to remove that security measure. It will also have a time limit that will allow the setting to switch back just in case the parent forgets to reset it. But it is important to remember that bad behaviors are often taught. So, parents should also be required to take a course on making teenagers safer on the road before the teenagers can get a driving permit. So, parents should know that it is just as important to practice what they are trying to teach. When a teenager has proven that they are responsible, they should be awarded a cord during the graduation ceremony when they become seniors in high school.

Teenagers love to be publicly rewarded for their achievements. If a teenager is caught texting or using their social media, their driving permit should be suspended for thirty days. Then, in order to get them reinstated, they must attend a 40-hour training course on the dangers of texting and using social media while driving.

Another way to reduce teenage drivers from texting and using social media while driving is to remove the peer pressure of having teenage friends in the car with them. If they are caught not abiding by this rule, their driving permit should be revoked. If teenagers continue with these bad habits, they should not be allowed to get their driving permit again until they become the age of twenty years old. I do feel that it takes more than just the parents and the teenagers to stop this sometimes-learned behavior. So, I do feel that local governments should come up with different programs to spread awareness. It is also important to include churches and other social groups to help with this issue. As my grandparents would say, it takes a village to raise these kids. If everyone is included in this effort, we all will benefit. Because it is not just teenagers on the road. If a teenager has an accident because they were distracted, it could be your family that may be hurt, not just the teenager. So, these are some of the reasons that driver education should be learned by every single person that gets behind a vehicle. I do also feel that after every 5 years of driving a person’s driving records should be reviewed. Using this information, it should be determined if the individual will be required to attend a refresher class in safety on the road. I have never been in a car accident, nor do I know anyone that has had a car accident that caused injury, but I can say that I have passed on the road several accidents that make me afraid to even want to drive. It is important for all people to stay focused on the road and remember that in a quick second you can make a mistake and change your life and the lives of others forever. My mother is one of the safest drivers that I know. I am sure she is extra cautious because my brother and I are in the car, but I also think she is trying to teach me a lesson. She often says, is it really that serious when other drivers are driving crazy, or speeds pass her on a two-lane road. She would say to me. Make sure you always leave early enough so you are never tempted to drive like that.

If you die in an accident you are never going to make it to that important place you are driving recklessly to get to.

I value my life and as a driver, it is my responsibility to protect the lives of other fellow citizens every time, I get behind the wheel.