Any Day

I’m sitting in my AP Chemistry class, when I hear, “Buzz, buzz.” I look at my phone and see I received a notification from Life 360 saying, “Sophie is on the side of the road and has just been in an accident.”

At home, I freaked out with the confirmed news from my mom, “Your sister had an accident!”

“What?” I yelled. “Is she ok?”

“Thankfully, yes,” she said. “Your dad is picking her up right now.”

“So … What happened?”

“She ran a stop sign. A car was coming the other way and they collided, totaling her car.”

“I liked that car too,” I mumbled, quiet enough so she didn’t hear me.

The number one cause of death for teens is automobile accidents, even after a driver’s ed book course and mandatory 40+ hours of driving experience. We were lucky that no one was hurt. My sister wasn’t distracted but was in an unfamiliar area with construction, where the stop sign was blocked by other signs. If she had been distracted, it could have been a lot worse. But if she had been more experienced, she might have not had the accident. This is why driver’s education is so important for new drivers.

Some of the most important rules of driver’s education are the curfew hours and limiting the amount of people in the vehicle. New drivers are less experienced. Having a friend in the car is a big distraction for the driver and doesn’t keep them focused on the road.

I would consider myself a good, responsible driver compared to other teens. I’ve never been in an accident while driving or have ever gotten a ticket. I enjoy driving; sometimes it calms me. My biggest pet peeve is bad drivers. Everywhere you go, you’re always going to have bad drivers, but people speed, swerving and cutting you off. Not knowing the basic rules of the road is extremely dangerous. I think there are more bad drivers because of the easy driver’s test where I live, especially after COVID-19.

Other countries’ driver’s tests are considered notoriously difficult to pass. They want to ensure the safety of other drivers and pedestrians. In Japan, my parents had to retake the road driving test four times because it was so hard. Not only is the test challenging, but the youngest age to get a license is 18, not 16 compared to the US. When I took my driver’s test in Georgia, I had a camera replacing the instructor. They just had me drive 500 feet down a road, make a U-turn, and return to the parking lot for the parking portion of the test. If the DMV made the test more challenging and ensured everyone knew the rules, accidents would drastically decrease. For example, there have been debates and confusion on left-turn rules. In 2019, America came in first place in the world with the most accidents–a whopping 1,949,000 accidents. Germany was second with 300,143. Although America is much bigger and has more cars, having 1,648,857 more crashes than Germany is unacceptable. Germany’s autobahn has no speed limit, which most people would consider dangerous, but it makes drivers more aware of the road. I’m not saying America should do this. When accidents do happen in Germany, although they are less frequent, they are much worse.

The biggest reason for car accidents is caused by that little thing everyone is always staring at these days, taking up all the space in the back pocket of your jeans–a smartphone. Over 80% of drivers admitted to using their phone while driving. Over 23% of accidents yearly involve being distracted by a smartphone, which is 1.3 million crashes. Waiting that extra 10 minutes to check out your friend’s story saves someone a trip to the ER. If you’re lost and need to look at Google Maps, either get the passenger to do it, or pull over at a gas station or convenience store. The little things like putting your phone down, checking your blind spot, and keeping your eyes on the road may not seem important, but it’s better to get in the habit now than to learn the hard way.

I live in Peachtree City, Georgia, and grew up driving golf carts. We have golf cart paths and parking spaces all over town. Teens can drive alone with a permit, but at twelve, they can start driving with an adult. Not only is it fun, but it allows the driver to get a feel for a car and gives them a driving experience before trying a car, which makes a huge difference. Golf carts don’t replace cars, but I think it’s helpful to drive them, compared to other states where kids have only ridden a bike before driving a car.

An accident can happen when it’s least expected, whether you’re not paying attention or the other person isn’t. This is why a complete understanding of the rules of the road and driver’s education is so important. Staying off your phone, especially for teens, is even more critical. A distracted driver makes mistakes. One accident can mentally and physically affect you, or even worse, kill you or someone else, in an instant, any time, any day. Sometimes just driving responsibly can help influence others, because the nature of humans is to follow what other people are doing. By driving with caution and responsibility, you can start making a difference in your life and the lives of others.