The clashing of metal against the hard, concrete ground is a sound that I will remember forever. A sound like that is not easily forgotten, and it can leave scars more intense than the piercing of glass remnants in your skin. Along with the never-ending alarm sounds ringing in your ears, and the dark feeling left in your gut, the aftermath of a car accident is more than taking care of a totaled car. The chances of this happening to a 16-year-old are way too high, and the dangerous consequences of distraction while driving need to be taken into consideration when learning the necessary components of driving a vehicle. As naive as I was, I did learn the gravity of driving and how much of the privilege can be taken for granted. You never know when that one glance down at your phone can result in a fatal incident, or a swerve caused by a goofy look at your friend. Teen-driving is a universal issue, and there are multiple different components, like the dangers that teen drivers face, how they can avoid them, the education a teen driver needs, and how I personally have experienced the dangers of teen driving. These must be explored to come to proper solutions that can benefit the teens in the coming generations.
People that range anywhere from the ages of sixteen to nineteen have “a fatal crash rate almost three times as high as drivers ages 20 and older per mile driven” (CDC 2024). This should not be the case. Car crashes are also the leading cause of death for teens. Due to this, families are left with heavy burdens on their shoulders that include insurance raises, emotional trauma, and so much more. Making such crucial decisions at the last minute for adolescents is way too difficult. There are parts of their brain that have not been developed yet, like the prefrontal cortex. Risk assessment and impulse control, which is extremely important for driving. An adult with a significant amount of experience is going to logically make a better decision than a 16-year-old in a stressful environment. The proper education is key for equipping them to be at their best in their ability to assess risky situations like driving.
The specifics of a driver’s education is quite simple. Logistics are important. The education focuses primarily on the essentials needed to fully know the ins and outs of the roads they are driving on. For instance, knowing the rules, laws, signs, and the way a vehicle operates. Other pieces that are learned include the emotions of driving. While it may just seem like a physical skill, knowing the way your mind works and the defensive mindset of operating a vehicle is crucial to excelling on the road. If a 17-year-old has mastered the skill of driving but still holds fast to the emotional side of things, it is more likely for that person to get into trouble when that circumstance arises. While these young adults are being taught these things, their undeveloped minds still cannot possibly know fully the right decisions in some driving circumstances, and they are faced with innumerable challenges.
One major issue is the use of phones. Parents might be right about their teen’s attachment to them when it comes to driving. Phones are an immediate distraction for teens, and because the notifications never end, neither do the responses. Being 19 myself, I have experienced this distraction firsthand and although almost every-time I manage to not get in an accident, the risk is still ever-present.
After going through car-totaling accident when I was 16, my entire perspective on safety changed. It was dark, loud, and fun in the car. There were distractions all around me. From my friend sitting next to me and another on the phone, I was left with little focus on the road. One moment of not paying attention to my surroundings and I ended up in with airbags all around me and my breath caught in my lungs. A totaled car and a heart full of regret haunted me for months. Insurance piled onto my parents, and I felt completely defeated. This experience not only grew me as a driver, but also as an emotionally aware one. I take distractions extremely seriously and my mistakes fueled my value of safety. Sometimes a mistake is all that people need to knock their mindset into the right place, and that is exactly what happened for me.
I strongly believe that there are continuous steps and encouragements that communities, schools, and parents can give their teens to build their driving skills and their experience to make good decisions in pressured circumstances. Teens can never know when a situation like an accident can happen, but there are personal commitments that they can make in their driving. They can put the phone down; schools can implement more education opportunities, and communities can offer them as well. One glance down at that notification is not worth it; the one hilarious conversation is not worth it; it is never worth it. We can make the roads safer, and it only takes one step at a time.