Distraction: The Inevitable Bane of Teen Drivers

My friends and I were driving to an Arab market one afternoon. There were five of us: one driver and four passengers. My friends and I aren’t nearly as rowdy as most teenagers, so the noise level in the car was pretty low. There was no music playing, just a calm conversation at a normal volume and, of course, some back-seat driving. At first, the back-seat driving was theoretically helpful, since we were going somewhere none of us had been before and had to find the streets the GPS was telling us to turn onto. However, one or two extra voices giving instructions in addition to the instructions from the GPS was distracting to my friend. It only got worse from there as the stress of too many voices telling him what to do made his turn a little rough, which led to admonishment about safe turns from the ringleader of the backseat drivers. This led to more stress that resulted in more less-than-ideal stops and turns, which only made the backseat driving worse all over again. Needless to say, we were all relieved when we pulled into the parking lot. We were a lot quieter on the way home, as none of us were eager to re-experience the last few minutes of the drive over.

I’m sure no one is shocked to learn that backseat driving was the opposite of helpful. That first comment from an extra voice broke my friend’s concentration and distracted him, resulting in some unsafe driving. Ours was a mild case of this, but that only goes to show that even one small distraction can cause a responsible driver to make mistakes. My friend was not a new driver; he had been driving for years and had had plenty of practice. He hadn’t done anything irresponsible to result in distracted driving, but was a safe driver with a safe number of passengers, no music, no raised voices, and good weather and driving conditions. It wasn’t his fault the backseat driver wouldn’t stop. She thought she was being helpful, but was really exacerbating the problem.

If an unexpected distraction while driving was that big of a problem for a driver with several years under his belt, then it’s a serious problem for new drivers. As the newest drivers with the least experience, teen drivers pose one of the biggest threats to driver and road safety, making it an important public issue. Further, unsafe driving doesn’t just harm the driver, it has the potential to harm their passengers, other drivers and their passengers, or even nearby pedestrians. If a teen driver speeds, swerves, or crashes they could hit another car, cause a pile-up or a slowdown, or damage roadside property. This is why Driver’s Education programs must not only impress upon their students the importance of safe driving habits, but also inform them of the dangers of distractions outside of their control while driving. 

That’s why my Driver’s Education teacher was such a genius. She would strike up conversations with myself and other students when we were behind the wheel, or even point out interesting things we were driving past. On at least two occasions, I remember complaining to her that she was distracting me, to which she responded, “Of course I am, because that’s what your friends are going to do when they’re in your passenger seat.”

At the time, I didn’t realize just how wise my teacher was. Not only was she having that conversation with us so that we were thinking about the reality of distractions while driving, she was giving us practice in a controlled and safe environment. My teacher never pointed out things on the side of the highway; she did it on residential streets when there were no cars coming. She had also mastered the ability to talk and pay attention to the road a long time ago, so whenever we were distracted by our conversation she was paying attention to everything. The moment we missed something she would stop the conversation and point it out so that we were always safe.

Driver’s Education teachers aren’t the only ones that can practice overcoming distractions while driving with teens. Parents can practice mock scenarios with their children, and community members can have conversations about the reality of distractions while driving with students, even sharing their own experiences. The fact of the matter is, there’s no way to ensure that a teen isn’t going to experience distractions while driving other than by not driving at all. No matter how responsible a teen is, no matter if they never drive with friends in the car, there will eventually be a loud and whiny younger sibling in the backseat, a car in front of them that’s blasting music so loud the windows are rattling, or any number of other undesirable circumstances.

Suffice it to say, distracted driving is a big problem, and it’s not one that’s easy to mitigate. There are countless variables on the road, some within parents’ and teens’ control, but many far outside of it. If teens are to be safe drivers, then they need to be equipped to handle distractions and unexpected occurrences while driving, and that begins with the efforts of parents, teachers, and community members who are committed to keeping their teens–and those on the road with them–safe.