Driver Education Initiative – Teenagers on the Road

Car
crashes are now a common reality for us in today’s world. With the
increase in car production and the number of drivers on the road, car
accidents are an ever-growing problem. According to ASIRT(Association
for Safe International Road Travel), there is an average of three
people killed per day because of car accidents, and that’s not
counting any injuries. (ASIRT 2019) One of the biggest concerns of
this decade is the number of teen driving accidents. This concern
then leads to the question of whether teenagers should be allowed to
drive at such a young age. Many people answer this question with a
hard, “No, they are unsafe and a hazard on the roads.” This may
be somewhat true, but there are many factors that feed into unsafe
driving. As a teen driver, I think we should be allowed to drive.
I’ll explain what I believe causes teens to become bad drivers and
my point of view on what we can do to help teens be safer on the
road.

A
big reason for teen driving accidents is due to the influence of
other drivers. The most significant impact of bad driving is the
parents of teenagers. Even from a young age, kids pick up on the
habits of their parents and others around them. When kids get closer
to driving age, they tend to pick up even more habits. So when a
parent drives recklessly, like going over the speed limit, checking
their phones while driving, and tailgating, these habits are
transferred to teenagers without us even realizing it. The most
substantial evidence I have to back this up is from my own
experience. When I drive, I tend to find my driving style very
similar to my father’s, which is somewhat aggressive. When driving
with him, he is always on my case about my bad habits, and I tell him
that I picked them up watching him drive. To back up my findings is
NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), who says,
“Novice teen drivers most often learn from watching their
parents.”(Currin 2019) This may seem crazy, but it isn’t just me
who picks up habits. My best friend always drives with his right hand
on the gear shift even though he drives an automatic car. He told me
that his father drives the same way, but it is because he grew up
driving a manual car. This goes to show that even small things we do
can be picked up by others. These examples show how parents can share
driving habits with their teens without them even knowing.

As
I stated before, I think that teenagers should have the privilege to
drive. Some may agree, while the majority of people may disagree. The
reason for my opinion is because it gives teenagers experience. Every
time you go out on the road, you become a better driver, and you pick
up different things that will help you as you continue to drive
through life. You learn how to control your car in different
situations better and to judge other people’s driving actions better.
I know this from personal experiences. There are people that I know
who did not get their driver’s license until they were about
twenty-five years old, and I have ridden with those people before.
They were not a terrible driver, but I did not feel a hundred percent
safe, and I got car sick riding with them because of their throttle
control. I think that if this person learned to drive at a younger
age, they would have had the guidance of their parents to help them
become better and safer drivers. I feel like I am a pretty good
driver, and I think that is because I learned to drive at a pretty
young age. From about the age of six, I was driving a go-kart around
our backyard. Learning to control that then allowed me to go into
drivers ed with my confidence level above my nerves. I know that most
people will not be in the same situation that I was, but getting
driving time is very important to a new driver. There are many people
I have known that have cheated on the driving hours for their permit.
This does not help teen drivers; it will just hurt them in the long
run. Experts say that if your child has not had at least fifty hours
behind the wheel before getting their license, then they will most
likely not be a safe driver. (Brown 2013) I blame this on parents for
not forcing their children to go out and get drive time and to make
sure they know their kids will be safe on the roads. All in all,
teenagers should start driving as early as they can to gain the
experience that they need to become safer drivers.

The
topic of whether teens should drive needed to be discussed more than
ten years ago. Research has found that over the past ten years, teen
drivers have become safer. This may seem crazy because of the rise in
technology, but it is true. According to a 2011 survey, teen seat
belt usage is up to ninety-two percent, from a previous seventy four
percent. (Improv 2018) Which means that seatbelt usage is most likely
up even more in 2019. Another survey question asked about how many
teens had been riding with drunk drivers. This number surprisingly
went down, with only twenty-four percent of teens saying that they
had ridden with a drunk driver. This number was previously at forty
percent. (Improv 2018) These are significant declines in major areas
of teen car accidents, and it just shows that teen drivers are
becoming safer.

When
the topic of teen driving is brought up in conversation, many people
first think of distracted driving. This is more prominent in today’s
day and age, but there can be ways to prevent this and other unsafe
driving habits to ensure that your teen is safe on the road.
According to NHTSA, one of the most important things parents can do
is to be a good role model when they are driving. This means keeping
your hands on the steering wheel, eyes on the road, and not looking
at your phone while driving. (Currin 2019) Another critical piece is
talking to upcoming teen drivers about the dangers of unsafe driving.
Make sure that they know the consequences of drinking and driving and
distracted driving. Make sure that they know the laws but also the
effects that will come from home. I know that when my parents sat me
down to talk about this, it scared me a little bit. Another big piece
to make teenagers safer drivers is not solely to rely on drivers ed.
This only teaches them the basics of how to drive a car, but it will
not teach them how to handle the vehicle in emergency situations. To
get the skills needed in an emergency, you will need to make sure
teenagers take an outside driving course. I have taken two different
driving courses, and they have helped me tremendously. With all of
these things we can do to help teens, it can ensure that they be
safer when they hit the road by themselves for the first time.

Knowing
that there are teenage drivers on the road can be scary. But that
doesn’t mean they shouldn’t learn how to drive and get the
experience they need. We were all in the same place that new drivers
are in right now. When you turn sixteen, you are excited to get your
license. This has been the case for decades and should continue to be
true. Educating new and young drivers is imperative to their safety
and the safety of others on the road.

Works
Cited

[email protected].
“Teen Driving.” NHTSA,
23 July 2019, www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-driving.

“Road
Safety Facts.” Association
for Safe International Road Travel,
www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/.

“Some
Positive Surprises In Teen Driving Behavior: by Improv.” MyImprov,
Traffic School by Improv, 10 May 2018,
www.myimprov.com/some-positive-surprises-in-teen-driving-behavior/.