The Cost of Ignoring Teen Safety

One night, one of my friends, Zack, was going straight down a main road when he was T-boned by a teenage boy who blew past a stop sign. Thankfully, Zack wasn’t hurt, and his insurance paid him for a new car. But it often makes me worry about what could’ve happened if the teen had been driving faster, was in a larger vehicle, or if Zack had passengers, especially children.

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teenagers than among any other age group. Even worse, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens (CDC). We can attribute this to a lack of experience and proper driver’s education, the smartphone addiction epidemic, teen drinking culture, high school responsibilities, and even a lack of resources from our communities.

Smartphones are the biggest issue that comes to mind for me. I’ve been in the passenger seat of a friend’s vehicle when they decide to start texting behind the wheel as if there’s no risk to anyone’s life. There’s a reason behind the panic I feel when I see someone typing on their phone, even at a red light. In California, a man named Casey Rivara stopped his car to help a family of ducks cross a road. After safely guiding them across, he headed back to his car, only to be struck by a speeding car (Press). Casey tragically died immediately after his act of kindness. The driver in the seat was reportedly a teenage girl, and while the exact cause wasn’t determined, distracted driving—especially due to phones—is a likely possibility.

Stories like these only make sense given the current epidemic of smartphone addiction. A group of 25 young adults was instructed to minimise their smartphone use for three days. Before-and-after fMRI scans revealed that restricting smartphone use led to changes in brain activity in areas associated with dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters that regulate mood, emotions, and addiction (Schmitgen et al.). In other words, limiting smartphone use is similar to withdrawing from addictive substances. Imagine being addicted to something that takes all your attention. Smartphone use has even come to affect our physical health. A 2023 study concluded that chronic smartphone usage leads to postural alterations in the cervical region (Fontenele et al.). Poor posture can reduce visibility of stop signs and street lights, affect blind spots, and lead to discomfort– hardly ideal conditions for safe driving.

Another prominent issue is driving while tired. Driving while sleep-deprived is sometimes worse than driving drunk. Studies have shown that driving after 17-19 hours of staying awake can impair driving performance as if you have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05% (Williamson and Feyer). But what can a teenager do when they need to drive to school after staying up studying all night? After all, seven out of ten teenagers report not getting enough sleep at night (Wheaton).

Peer pressure is also an often-overlooked issue. The presence of additional teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers (CDC). Whether or not parents like it, teenagers will often rebel and have parties that involve drinking. They have a choice to drink and risk their lives driving back home, or feel left out by all their friends. 29% of drivers ages 15-20 who were killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking (McKnight and McKnight). Many teenagers will still take that risk. The key is to make it as safe an experience as possible for teenagers, since they will likely attend parties regardless.

There are many precautions that we can take to promote safer driving. When it comes to parties, hosts should always restrict access to car keys to prevent anyone from driving home after drinking. Even portable breathalyzers could be implemented and given out by schools. Teenagers should also be careful of their friend groups trying to peer pressure them into thinking it’s “cool” to drive drunk, dangerously fast, or without a seatbelt. Communities can implement designated driver rules, maybe even playing games like rock-paper-scissors to dictate who will drive everyone home.

The biggest solution lies in healthy parenting, specifically, behavioral modelling, or the social learning theory. Social learning theory, introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura, proposed that learning occurs through observation, imitation, and modeling, and is widely accepted by psychologists (Contributors). Parents should give feedback during supervised driving sessions to help their children make safer driving decisions and avoid risky maneuvers. They should also promote honest communication without shaming their children for wanting to go to events, making sure they get home safely, rather than punishing them. It’s also important to ensure no alcohol is present in the house and adults are not seen drinking. The social learning theory applies to smartphone use as well. That means parents should promote healthy outdoor activities and restrict cell phone usage to avoid causing an addiction. They should not spend excessive time on their phone or watching TV if they don’t want their children to do the same.

Teen driver safety isn’t just about individual choices– it’s about the environments we create together. From phones and fatigue to peer pressure and parenting, the issues are complex. But so are the solutions. With stronger community support and role models who lead by example, we can save lives and avoid tragedies.