Safe driving for teens

Teen drivers, scarier than a loose orangutan; well maybe not THAT scary. In all reality a teen driver comes with a completely different and unique set of challenges, as distinct as the driver’s individual personality. What makes teen drivers so much more of a generalized issue on the road? First, it’s the initial lack of experience. Not having driven for years, only used one or two vehicles to learn by, or getting ‘just’ enough time behind the wheel. This lack of experience when operating a vehicle is what sets teen drivers to be a general safety concern. Experience teaches drivers how to handle the real life feel and movement of a vehicle, especially in more dangerous situations. Teens simply are lacking this knowledge up front.

Second, anyone consistently driving or traveling distractions are a major issue to consider. The need and desire to stay abreast of each text, tweet, or image posted on your cell phone can push a teen to make dumb choices when driving. The distractions may also include the desire to change the screen, song, or setting, which all take eyes and attention away from the road and put it elsewhere while driving.

For the teen driver today, this inclusion of distractions can be more detrimental. Teens are growing up with immediate response technology. The addiction with cellphones, tablets, or other handheld technology is creating a generation of need-to-know all the time users. For many teens this may not stop once behind the wheel.

Combating these issues can be found with current or future Sri era education courses. Presenting teen drivers events and situations where a variable driving method would be optimal. These driving courses also help to get that time behind the wheel that creates a more stable sensation of handling a vehicle. Teen drivers gain a safety edu action, and training with an experienced driver. There is also reinforcement of safety standards with the educator- instilling a stronger adaptation of such techniques.

I greatly appreciate the laws set in my home state, Georgia, regarding safe driving. One such law is the no-touch policy for cell phones in a vehicle. This law states that any handling of your cell phone while driving is an offense that could be fined heavily. It is a law-based reminder of the necessity to be focused while driving, and away from our societies highest recognized distraction.

For teens, it could also be encouraged to use the focus settings available on smart phones today. These settings prevent alerts and messages coming through when the phone senses the vehicle in motion. This would help to limit the pull away from concentration on the road, and not feel as ‘left out’ while driving. I do think that phone manufacturers should consider a stronger sense of vehicle motion so that these auto start focus options could be adapted to activate more often and quicker. Even if the focus required a two step process to open, limiting a persons ability to access the phone while driving.

As a newer driver, I am far from perfect, but I’m always trying to be better than what my generation is known for. I have seen my own family, and yes, my parents, commit some distracted driving. Thankfully never a serious issue, but it has made me fearful of that driving situation. Swerving on the road, braking quickly, or having to make a last minute decision has always made me nervous. These are events that I never want to be in myself, which is why I’ve made it a habit to put my phone somewhere I know I won’t even try to reach while driving. Safe driving has to be an active and conscious effort by the driver, which is why outside programs are so helpful – they instill safety practices into the driver’s mind. Here locally, there is a two part process to obtain your driver’s license: a required traffic safety course and the need to have at least one year behind the wheel with a permit. These requirements delay the independence of having a license, and force teens into more structure and education. Although tedious, this has allowed even myself to be more responsible when driving. I feel more prepared for independence and being able to handle driving without someone present. I would encourage similar programs in community across the country, but not enough that the teens become exhausted of the entire process.

Other helpful programs and courses might include a realistic evaluation of the statistics, images of car accidents caused by distractions, or testing that includes a review of these statistics. I think given the information, teens would be at least aware to be more cautious and careful when driving. None of us want to think about the realities of what could happen. Including this information in the education to prevent such realities could prove to be more helpful in reducing teen driving associated events.