Behind the Wheel and Beyond: Navigating Risk, Speed, and Growing Up

Young drivers often find themselves with a brand-new license, maybe even a new car, and a newfound sense of freedom. But nothing in life is truly and completely free, and the cost of driving, outside of money for maintenance and gas, is discipline and responsibility. Teen driver safety is a major public issue because motor vehicle crashes remain one of the leading causes of death for teenagers. This isn’t about individual risk, this is a community concern with real consequences: lives lost, families devastated, and millions in property damage and legal and medical fees. I think one of the leading issues is that teens underestimate how physics dictates driving. You are not in control of the car; the laws of physics are. For instance, a 3,500 lb. car going 90 mph carries nearly 1.3 million joules of kinetic energy, compared to around 890,000 joules at 75 mph. that is a 44% increase in crash force compared to a 20% increase in speed. These aren’t just fun physics problems they translate to more severe crashes, less chance of survival and more damages to others. Drivers’ ed bridges the gap between operating a car and understanding the responsibility and risk. It not only teaches skills but also hazard awareness and real-life consequences of poor choices like speeding, texting, or driving under the influence. Statistically speaking, thinking you’re the exception is the norm, and that’s exactly the problem.

Teens today face three major challenges behind the wheel: Distractions, peer pressure, and lack of experience. Smartphones, music, and even friends in the car can pose a huge distraction when driving, and with the speeds we drive at today anything that takes your attention off the road for even a second can prove to be disastrous. Simple solutions like phone silencing apps or Bluetooth handsfree calling can help reduce the urge to check your phone while driving. Many teens may struggle with peer pressure; friends encouraging reckless behavior like speeding, rapid acceleration, aggressive cornering, and general showing off. Young drivers should be told the importance of boundary setting with passengers to prioritize safety over approval. Programs with testimonials from first responders and crash victims could help show the gravity of these boundaries. New drivers often haven’t built the necessary intuition needed for quick reactions. Things like knowing which way to veer to avoid a collision, whether to accelerate away from an incoming car or break to avoid it, and general complex driving situations they may find themselves in. Graduated driving license laws like ones that have a nighttime curfew or passenger limit can help reduce the likelihood of being in an unfamiliar situation without proper support, and simulation training to understand the effects of understeer, oversteer, loss of traction, and consequences of accelerating or decelerating around corners can help prepare drivers for varied conditions.

Cars lie to us. With their double pane insulated windows, automatic transmissions and the staggeringly high horsepower numbers of new cars, you can find yourself going fast without truly understanding what that speed is. On a rollercoaster, reaching 60 miles an hour makes your hair fly back, your eyes water, and for some their stomach churl. But in the comfort of a car, we are deceived. The windshield protects us from the air so that going 60 miles an hour feels like sitting in your living room. The sound insulation hides the wind noise, and modern engines churning under 2k rpm going highway speeds make you think you’re not even pushing the car that hard, it can do more after all. I think to myself, “I’m not even hitting the gas that hard,” or “well my engine is barely working to go this fast.”

Being a student at St. Johns College in Santa Fe, NM, and being born and raised in Lancaster, PA, I make the 1800-mile-long trek across the Midwest and Colorado Plateau several times a year. And because I was once a young teen in a fast-ish car myself, I understand the desire to speed especially on the open roads like I-40 or I-25. In November of 2023 I was pulled over by a cop for going 91 in a 75, and instead of being issued a ticket I was mandated to take a defensive driving course. There I learned about the statistics that speeding causes almost double the accidents in New Mexico compared to impaired driving. And the disastrous consequences of driving without a seatbelt, impaired driving, and risky behavior. Some people are lucky to live, others end up with permanent life altering conditions like burns, loss of vision or hearing, paralysis, gastric issues, mobility issues, and the PTSD caused by traumatic events like crashes. Ever since that class I have changed the way I drive. I do not have to rev my engine to redline to get on the highway (most of the time), I don’t have to nor desire to drive at excessive speeds for extended periods of time, and I put on my music and buckle before I even think about putting my car into drive. Life goes by fast enough; there is no need to rush safety when driving.

Driver’s education programs point out these statistics and bring to our attention what might have otherwise gone unknown. After learning about the exponential increase in energy with speed, and comparing it with time saved, I realized how fruitless of an endeavor it is to try to speed to get somewhere faster. Communities can support young drivers access to free or subsidized drivers’ education courses, mock crash events, driving agreements between parents and teens, and by modeling safe behavior. If young people speed, it is because they saw that behavior modeled for them. It is all of our responsibility to keep each other safe and accountable.

Learning to drive is not just learning to steer and follow traffic laws, it is also learning to navigate risk, responsibility, and independence. Supporting young drivers with education, structure, and community accountability will save not just their lives but everyone sharing the roads.