Safety First

Safety First

One of the most important milestones for a teenager is becoming an adult and getting a driver’s license which is a taste of freedom on the road. Having the privilege to drive is so important to a teenager into adulthood in gaining independence and responsibility. However with great power comes great responsibility. During the pandemic requiring social distance while staying virtually interactive and connected to others comes great responsibility behind the wheel. According to AAA “21 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by their cell phones” and with the fast growing pace of social media notifications distractions today are more prevalent. Through this year’s historic COVID pandemic connections to others has become even more important to teenagers leading to higher levels of distractions behind the wheel. There are many ways one can be a safe driver on the road and it starts with drivers’ education and taking extra safety precautions.

The importance of driver’s education for teenagers is vital since driving for the first time on the road and freeways can be very intimidating. Driver’s education may be delayed due to limited experience because maybe one’s parents never let them practice driving or they have never driven more than the grocery store down the street. Driver’s education is important prior to one obtaining a driver’s license because it allows teenagers to develop a comfort in understanding and growing familiarity with roads along with control in operating a vehicle and traffic maneuvers. Driver’s education allows teenagers to be familiar with driving in busy streets such as downtown, driving at night, different weather conditions, and learn to defensively drive in traffic from potential other dangerous driving circumstances/scenarios. Driver’s education also allows teenagers in managing how to practice talking and communicating to their passengers while driving, making prior adjustments to a vehicle’s steering wheel, drivers seat, mirrors, practicing entering and existing traffic, turning and changing lanes, and getting familiar with the vehicle’s gas petal and how much power the car has in order make better decisions when to adjust speeds. Driver’s education also teaches teenagers important markings on the road such as solid lines, dashes lines, bike lanes etc…. Driver instructors also can give helpful advice and tips on how to protect yourself and others on the road such as keeping a car length distance from the car in front of you so you have enough time to appropriately break within a buffer distance and prevent an accident. There’s so much that can be learned from driver education for new teenage drivers.

Modern technology has made it easier in taking extra safety precautions, there are so many gadgets and features that either our phones or cars have that can aid us in preventing accidents that could otherwise be fatal. Especially since 12% of distracted drivers involved in fatal car accidents were teenagers ages 15 to 19. A few steps that can be taken in order to be a safer driver on the road is to check out all the safe features on your phone and through apps to assist young driver’s in preventing distractions. One of the most important features through the iPhone is the Do Not Disturb While Driving in which will turn on and off automatically or manually through the Control Center. The driving mode silences notifications, temporarily blocks phone calls and text messages which allows you to drive with fewer distractions. Now we all love to jam out to our favorite music while having a little carpool karaoke in our car but trying to navigate your song apps can be distracting. Spotify now has a Car Mode in which it strips away distracting background images and videos while enlarging primary functions such as play/pause, next/previous as in vehicle radios. This will increase clarity for those glancing at the screen in order to decrease confusion and distractions for those behind the wheel. Another beneficial feature that can help you stay safe is connecting your Spotify app with Waze navigation app. Playing music and trying to navigate and follow instructions can be very dangerous and distracting trying to switch between apps but with the partnership between Waze and Spotify can make your music listening and car navigation experience more seamless. This new feature allows users of the Waze app to listen to the Spotify playlist from within the app, and Spotify users can continue to get their Waze navigation instructions while in the music app with less contact of the cell phone. This feature enables you to switch between the apps and browse your playlist in Waze however only when your vehicle is at a complete stop. Features like these are a great way that you can stay safe on the road for yourself and those around you.

I personally have not been in a severe car accident but I have a friend in which her and her family were leaving the movie theater. Her mom was very aware of her surroundings and as she drove out of the parking lot onto the main street, a distracted driver was texting on her phone and had hit my friends family car. My friend ended up having to go to the emergency room and had to get stitches across her face because of how bad the accident was which shows that a second of distraction is all it takes to result in life changing consequences.

A few steps that I have taken in order to be a safer driver on the road which I’ve incorporated in my daily drives are using the Do Not Disturb While Driving and the Waze and Spotify partnership. I am a big advocate of no texting while driving in which I either ask my passenger to text for me or I use Siri on my phone to make a call or send a text in order to keep my hands on the wheel and my eye on the road at all times. Anytime I’m a passenger and I see the driver needing to send a text or call, I will always help them out by sending the text for them or making the call for them so that the driver continues to have total focus while driving. This allows the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road and are less distracted with navigating their phone.

Driver’s education is very important for teenagers to experience and learn from in order to become safe drivers on the road. Along with incorporating the extra precaution steps that will help lessen a driver’s distractions on the road which can not only save your life but save the lives of others as well.