Dylan Page

High school is a
hormone filled battleground where kids fight to be cool and fit in.
It’s a confusing time in life where everyone’s biggest concern is
how they’re perceived by others. This battle for popularity and
acceptance, contrary to what others may think, extends far beyond the
confines of any high school campground. I’d argue that this
struggle for popularity is most commonly found on the drowsy morning
drives to school and the group rides to the local Taco Bell as soon
as the final bell rings. Fatal car crashes were the leading cause of
death among teenagers in both 2017 and 2018. To many adults in our
country today that statistic may be shocking. However as a recently
graduated high school student, it’s something that me and my fellow
classmates have no problem accepting as fact. In society there’s
always been a yearning from teenagers to be “cool” or popular.
However, unlike other generations there’s never been so many eyes
on teens. Thanks to social media, every teenager has been put
underneath a magnifying glass. Now teenagers have to upkeep a
constant persona of coolness and uniqueness all throughout their day,
even when they’re not at school.


Every. Waking.
Moment.


And those moments
don’t exclude driving. So instead of purely focusing on driving,
often teenagers have far more pressing matters on their mind. “What
music should I play” often overshadows necessary driving knowledge
and techniques like coming to a complete stop or memorizing signs and
road signals. Teenagers are more concerned with driving fast and
looking cool to their friends by driving fast and taking pictures of
the road they’re driving on for their Snapchat story than they are
with truly focusing on driving safely.

That’s why in
order to avoid teenage deaths due to fatal car crashes, educators
need to understand the pressures that kids are under in this current
society to feel cool and be cool all the time. Even in moments where
no one is around, teens still feel the need to post things on social
media and drive over the speed limit and blast their loudest music as
high as their car will let them. Drivers Ed instructors need to
demonstrate to kids that safety needs to come first over being cool.
It’s going to take far more than just telling kids to “not text
and drive” or to “put the phone down”. It’s going to take
teachers addressing the current culture of needing to feel cool all
the time, and squashing that idea. It’s cool to drive over the
speed limit, it’s cool to drive leaned back with one hand on the
wheel while using the other to change the music on their phone that’s
being blasted at the highest volume. Addressing these things, is the
first step towards helping a new generation of kids under constant
pressure realize that driving is already a high pressure enough
situation, and it doesn’t need any more pressure than it already
has.