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Driver Education Initiative – Distractions of Teenage Driving

Name: Miles Kimeon Phifer
From: Columbia, SC
Votes: 0

 

My
driving experience started at the ripe age of eight when my mother
would let me sit on her lap and steer the wheel while she drove
through our apartment complex. While I recognize now that probably
was not the safest method for getting home, I was young and having
fun, so safety was not a concern. Now eighteen, I have been behind
the wheel by myself now for about two years. In the 730 and some odd
days of my driving career I have experienced a multitude of driving
incidents from both me and those around me. The reasons for these
occurrences vary from intoxication, distractions, and overconfidence.
I believe that the root cause behind all these reasons is the under
significance put on the power one has when they are behind the wheel
and the significance of having fun while driving. Car companies
constantly portray this image of the fun of driving to encourage more
people to buy their cars. I believe those most susceptible to the
draw of fun driving is my generation. Stereotypically, my generation
is focused on speed and materialism and car advertisements capitalize
on this. I have heard many of my friends talk about how they want the
fastest and most luxurious cars and the dialogue rarely is about
safety. Then, when we obtain these cars the attraction of arriving to
our destinations as quickly as possible and the technology, we have
at our disposal starts to hinder us rather than help us. The biggest
distraction we as teenage drivers have are our phones. One
notification and our eyes immediately avert from the road to our
phones and then they are stuck like glue. As well as our phones,
drugs are a main impairment when it comes to our ability to drive. I
know many people who have driven home under the influence and would
even do it again. This doesn’t happen because we are unaware of the
dangers of texting and driving, for many driving classes have shown
these dangers and tried to ingrain them in our minds. Yet this is not
enough, for I believe that we see the driving videos and hear our
instructors, but we don’t think it could happen to us. This
combined with the fact that some new drivers lack certain skills such
as parallel parking, knowing who has the right of way, and knowing
what to look for while driving contributes to the lack of safety on
our roads. To help combat this, I believe that all drivers tests no
matter where they are taken should be the exact same to prepare
drivers for any environment. I also believe that it is the
responsibility of car advertisers to recognize who is receiving their
message and put more of an emphasis on safety. Personally, I know I
overestimate my ability to drive in certain conditions such as
hazardous weather conditions as well as when I am tired. I also fall
victim of the distractions that come with technology.