Beyond the License

I will never forget the unapologetic, apathetic look on his face.

Brian (pseudonym) was brought into youth court because he drove 120 MPH on the freeway— 60 miles over the speed limit. When sentenced to 60 hours of community service and a letter of apology to the greater community, he was remorseless. He barely talked during our restorative justice circle process, offering no new insights to the student advocates and community members in attendance. It was evident that Brian came to court for one reason: to maintain a spotless insurance record, the most significant advantage of youth court participation for respondents.

Though Brian’s callousness permeated the courtroom, his case didn’t stop me from believing in the importance of this type of driver education. Brian was an anomaly— an outlier. As president of the youth court during my time in high school, I oversaw countless cases ranging from speeding tickets to full-on collisions resulting in serious injury. As a result, I’ve witnessed many respondents come into court and reflect on their actions behind the wheel. More often than not, these respondents take full responsibility for their mistakes and are grateful for the opportunity to make amends with the community.

I’ve observed firsthand the profound impact driver education has had in not only reducing the number of deaths but also in positively shaping the minds of young drivers. While driver education equips young drivers with the knowledge and skills to safely operate a vehicle on the road, additional educational programming, such as teen traffic courts, continues to educate both drivers and community participants about the effects of reckless driving. Driver education is more than just a course, test, and 50 hours of practice behind the wheel. Driver education is the accumulation of knowledge gained through interacting with other drivers in the community and assessing safe driving habits to protect others.

In order to reduce the number of driving-related deaths, we must make driver education programs more accessible to teens first learning how to drive. In eligible states, many teens choose to forgo instruction permits and private driver education due to the high costs associated with such programs. They wait until they turn of age to directly take the driving test, thus waiving valuable education that has the potential to save lives. By reducing the financial burden of enrolling in such training courses, more young drivers will have access to life-saving information. Implementing safe driving habits at a young age can kickstart a generation of safer drivers. Additionally, allocating greater funds and resources to programs such as youth traffic courts can involve entire communities in ensuring safer driving on the road.

Thankfully, I’ve never had the experience of being in a car accident in my four years of driving. I attribute this to my experience working in a teen traffic court. Witnessing the damage caused by driving infractions, such as psychological trauma and physical injuries respondents have testified to in court, solidified my intention to be the safest driver I can be on the road. Unfortunately, not everyone shares this same sentiment. My mother was the victim of a hit-and-run accident just a couple of weeks ago. She already has a history of neck and back pain. As a child, I would often attend acupuncture appointments with her over the span of many years; to see her pain flare back up again because of this hit-and-run breaks my heart. Accidents and irresponsible driving impact more than the people in the vehicles— the pain and trauma extend to family, friends, and community members.

As a teen driver, it’s important to me that my friends and peers also learn the importance of safe driving habits. That’s why I introduced greater initiatives to recruit more members to volunteer at our youth court. Members ranged from middle school students to undergraduate-level mentors. Middle school students who weren’t eligible to drive yet were still able to learn firsthand from the mistakes of respondents who came into court and the dangers of speeding, distracted, and reckless driving. Undergraduates and high schoolers like me who already had their licenses were constantly reminded about safe driving habits and contributed to a community initiative for safe driving. As for myself, I ensure that my phone is silenced while I drive and lower the volume of music playing in the car to minimize distractions. Additionally, my parents have stressed the importance of defensive driving— anticipating dangerous situations to avoid accidents— ever since I started to learn how to drive. Driving with a defensive mindset, such as maintaining a safe following distance and predicting sudden lane merges, has improved my experience on the road.

There are various methods of educating young drivers outside of formal driving courses. It’s important to advocate for and expand these programs because driver education shouldn’t stop once a license has been obtained.