Smart driving

Seth Ringfield

6/12/2019

Smart Driving

Nearly 1.25 million
people die in road crashes each year on average that is 3,287 deaths
a day. Even more people are injured or disabled in car crashes an
even more alarming truth is that more than half of all the road
traffic deaths occur among young adults ages 16-20. This is a serious
issue that I feel has been addressed very little in this nation.
According to the CDC “motor vehicle crashes are the leading
cause of death for U.S. teens. Six teens ages 16-19 die every day
from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to
19 are nearly three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older
to be in a fatal crash.” Despite these statistics there are ways
to prevent this from happening. One way to stop teen deaths is to
educate them on the severity of them driving I believe that if the
youth was better educated in how to behave on the road this would not
happen or at least it would not happen as much as it does now. The
youth must understand how to drive for everyone on the road meaning
that before you even get in the car you should understand that there
are others on the road just like you. Everyone wants to make it home
and avoid an accident at all costs. Another way to prevent teens
deaths is to stop the texting while driving epidemic. According to
AAA poll, 94 percent of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of
texting and driving, but 35% admitted to doing it anyway. 21 percent
of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by their
cell phones. Knowing this is unacceptable and can not continue as a
nation it is time to crack down on teens using cell phones while
driving I suggest that lawmakers make it so that teens must have
phones powered off at all times in the car this is to avoid all
possible accidents on the road and stop more young adults from losing
their lives in a senseless and avoidable manner. In America there is
a culture of having access to technology at all times and the younger
generation has been raised with technology at their fingertips so it
is no wonder why texting and driving is so prevalent within this
younger generation. With young people there is a constant need to
check your phone and its become somewhat of a fatal habit if not put
in check immediately. Even though the problem is teenagers and young
adults mature adults even struggle with refraining from checking
phones whilst driving. “Texting while driving is not just a teen
problem,” says John Ulczycki of the National Safety Council. “Teens
text but you’re looking 10 million teen drivers, but about 180
million adult drivers.” This shows that not only do teens get
themselves in trouble with bad driving habits but adults also have
problems staying away from their phones. In addition to this it also
goes back to what I stated previously in the essay about how you
must drive for everybody on the road and take into account everyone’s
wellfare. As a society we must do more to educate everyone behind the
wheel but young people especially so that they do not grow up to be
irresponsible drivers and increasing the death rates as well as
putting innocent people in danger too. Although it is very important
to have a well informed driver population all around it is paramount
that the youth develope good road safety and learn the depth of their
actions in the car.