Small Screens, Big Consequences

Every teenager dreams of the day they get their license and their first car. It’s a whole new level of freedom and self-reliance like nothing else. Many teens, however, think driving is simple and easy. After all, how hard can driving be when we’re passengers of adults that drive while on their phones, with their knees, or even while tipsy?

Driver’s education and road tests for teens is extremely important for keeping the roads as safe as possible. Some adult drivers simply aren’t good drivers, and may encourage their teens to drive aggressively or pass on the mistakes they make themselves. Would you really want the person who just cut you off on the highway to be the sole teacher of a new driver? Some adults just aren’t the best teachers either, forgetting to teach less common but still important skills like parallel parking, or simply being inattentive and not reminding their teen to use their blinkers. Putting aspiring independent drivers through driver’s education can be extremely beneficial. Students hear from adults other than their own and can unlearn bad habits they may have picked up, properly preparing them to drive safely on their own. Even in the classroom, driver’s education can have a big impact.

Many teenagers think of themselves as almost invincible. The potential consequence is no big deal because they wouldn’t get caught, or it simply wouldn’t happen to them. I myself have friends who drive recklessly because they think they’re too good at what they do to get in trouble. Many have proven themselves to be wrong. The classroom part of driver’s education discussing the consequences of unlicensed driving, and even the potential damage a car crash can cause to someone, can help get it into students’ heads that there can be serious consequences and they aren’t as invincible as they think.

Just like road tests help determine who is a safe enough driver to be alone on the road, regular road tests can help us keep unsafe drivers off of the streets. Very often people will find one way of driving that is comfortable for them, but not necessarily good enough to pass a road test. On the test, they drive to pass and then immediately return to their own “style” of driving. For some drivers, this style can become increasingly reckless or just lazy. Regular road tests can encourage people to use the safe driving they were taught, and keep dangerous drivers out of the driver’s seat until they improve their safety.

I have been around many unsafe drivers in my life, been in accidents, and even caused one myself. Three months ago, I had multiple plans with uncertain times and was stressed and in a rush to get to my first destination. I hurriedly got ready, got in the car, and then… the center console wouldn’t connect to my phone. No matter how many times or different methods I tried, it would not work. It would connect for a few seconds and show my GPS before just switching off. I grew increasingly frustrated until it finally seemed to work. I started my drive and before I had even made it down the street, it went out again. I decided I would just rely on my phone instead and, in a decision I now greatly regret, took my eyes off the road to quickly enter my password. Everything came to a sudden stop. For a moment I was shocked and dazed, having hit my nose on the steering wheel. Only when I looked around did I piece together what I had just done. Barely a street away from my house, I hit a parked car and completely totaled my own. I was completely devastated. I sat on the grass crying hysterically to the point of nearly passing out as I waited for my mother and the police to arrive. I felt like a complete disappointment and cried for hours and hours that day and for weeks to come. It was the trigger of a serious depressive episode that I am still not yet completely over. It was completely, and easily, preventable. It has been a hard lesson to learn, but it has been a valuable one. Despite how many people use their phones behind the wheel seemingly without consequence, it isn’t worth it.

I have become way more aware of just how common phone use while driving is. Whenever I’m on the bus, the majority of the people I see are on their phones at stoplights and even just on the road. I see friends of mine slowly swerve into the next lane while they focus on their phones instead of the road. I see adults in my life speed as their focus favors the small screen in their hand instead of the big world outside of their windshield. The biggest change I can advocate for is no phone use behind the wheel. Set devices in bags or pockets or anywhere out of reach until the car is safely parked at your destination. People in the Dallas metroplex are known to drive crazy and I suspect the cause is phones. Without the distraction, drivers, passengers, and pedestrians would all be much safer.