Driving

For teens, their first experience of freedom within the real world is getting a license. When teenagers get their licenses for the first time, they will typically take advantage of the opportunity and drive whenever and wherever they want to go. Many teens enjoy the thrill of going out and seeing the world. Teens love to have their own form of independence; having a license offers these teens this opportunity. But, driving a car comes at a great risk. These teens underestimate the dangers that can come along driving. Teens do not realize the great risks that they take when driving a two ton “weapon.” Sometimes, these teens are not serious about driving. Teens typically will ignore all of the driving rules and do as they please. This is ultimately the reason why teens are responsible for many accidents as new drivers.

Majority of teenagers will think it is okay to multitask while behind the wheel. For instance, these teens will most likely text and drive. Teenagers typically have this habit of going on social media while driving. Teenagers love to post videos of them driving at high speeds on apps such as Snapchat and Instagram. Teenagers love the thrill of going at these high reckless speeds and posting their adventures. Teenagers also love to trample all of their friends in their car and drive around. Teenagers will most likely get distracted because of their friends. Their friends will typically fool around and peer pressure the driver into doing dangerous acts for this adrenaline. On top of that, many teens think that it is okay to drink alcohol and do drugs while driving. Teenagers think that it is okay to post a video of them smoking marijuana while driving to make it seem like they are cool. As a result of their reckless habits, teens face fatal car crashes that will ultimately end their lives. Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent deaths and accidents among teens.

Firstly, teens can be required to take an actual drivers education class. Majority of teenagers only take the required five hour course in order to get their MV-278 class. That class just explains the permit test. The class is just a reiteration of what was tested on the permit book. There was no real teaching in the five hour course. On the other hand, driver’s education is a course that some teenagers take in order to get their full senior license at seventeen. Drivers education is a course which teaches you how to safely drive on the road. Drivers education goes into depth with the material because it is a longer course than the five hour course counterpart. Drivers education for example goes into depth about the true dangers of doing drugs while driving, the purpose of staying away from illegal car meets, how to drive in inclimate weather, and how to drive with motorcycles and eighteen wheeler trucks around. Driver’s education teaches the driver how to avoid major accidents as well. There is also a hands-on experience with driver’s education as well. After the class portion, the students will go outside and drive in an actual car with a driving instructor. There are some driving essentials that can only be taught with a hands-on experience. Driving in a car with a professional instructor will fulfill that experience. That driving instructor will teach tips and tricks on how to drive more carefully on the road. Teenagers who take driver’s education will be safer on the roads. Insurance companies even reward the teens who have taken driver’s education as well. When a teenager is put on the insurance for the first time, the rates will go through the roof. With driver’s education, the insurance company will give discounts to the insurance plan.

Secondly, a new law can be passed that will increase the punishment of a teenager getting caught either texting and driving or doing drugs while driving. Teenagers sometimes underestimate the consequences of doing their actions. They will tend to think that they will have no effect on those around them. Teenagers are sometimes selfish in that sort of way. Teenagers will only think about themselves. If a teenager texts and drives, they are a major hazard on the road. Teenagers will have a greater chance of causing an accident when they text and drive. They are more focused on their social media instead of driving. When there is a harsher punishment, teenagers will rather avoid that punishment. It is a luxury and a privilege to drive. That stricter punishment can be that teens will get their cars impounded, go to jail for a week, and have their license and or permit taken away until the age of twenty one. With that consequence set, teenagers will see that their actions will have consequences. Teenagers will realize the potential danger of their selfish actions and will avoid it all together while on the road.

Lastly, as a last resort, teenagers should have the opportunity to listen to a speaker who faced consequences because of them doing social media while driving. Sometimes, teenagers need to see someone who faced harsh consequences in order for them to wake up. Inmates who got caught behind the wheel doing something illegal can do community service by hosting an event in which they talk about what they did, what happened to them after they did it, and why they did it. When teenagers can connect to someone that was distracted while driving, they will begin to realize that this is not the path for them. Teenagers will see in person what would happen to them if they continue to do social media while driving. These are only ways that teenagers can learn from their actions. Sometimes the driving features on phones do not work because they will simply turn them off. With teenagers visualizing and having a hands-on experience, they will most likely learn how to prevent themselves from going down the wrong path.