Confidence Levels

Most teenagers feel ecstatic to get their license. They finally have the freedom to go wherever they want and they’re ready to use it. I, however, was not one of those teenagers. When I started Driver’s Ed after my freshman year of high school, I was absolutely terrified of driving. The thought of being behind the wheel of a vehicle that big felt like too much of a risk. What do you mean I have to control a giant metal beast and that one wrong move - even just turning the wheel a little bit too far - could result in horrible, catastrophic accidents and injuries? But once I got my learner’s permit and was out on the road for the first time, I was amazed at how easy driving actually was. And the more time I spent around other drivers, the more at peace I felt about it; I could see that people who had been driving for years had the confidence they needed to get from point A to point B safely. Perhaps I needed to reexamine my fear of driving and adopt the sense of security that other drivers seemed to have in their abilities. In some ways, however, my anxiety was not entirely unreasonable.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2,320 people were killed in car crashes involving teen drivers in 2024. I don’t need any data to tell me that teen driving can be especially dangerous; all I have to do is sit in my school parking lot for 20 minutes and count how many student drivers run the nearby stop signs. Oftentimes reckless driving from young adults is attributed to overconfidence on the road. Drivers assume everything will be fine, so they are more likely to make risky decisions and let their mind wander from the task of driving. This is especially true when young adults drive under the influence, use their phone while driving, or are distracted by their friends in the car (NHTSA). All of these things can take the driver’s attention away from the road and lead to serious consequences. All drivers must be alert and ready to react to unusual and dangerous situations on the road, which means that even a second spent with their eyes off of the road could cost them. A high amount of confidence with a low amount of experience can cause a teen driver to be less aware of the risks of driving while distracted, and can harm them if they encounter trouble on the road and are unable to react quickly and correctly.

It’s important to note, though, that some amount of confidence can be very useful on the road. Knowing what to do in an emergency and how to prevent a collision is vital for all drivers, not just teenagers. The more you understand about how to stay safe while driving, the less likely you are to end up in an accident. Around 94% of all car accidents are caused by the driver, rather than weather hazards or vehicle malfunctions. And most driver-caused accidents involve a “recognition error” from a driver, which includes distracted driving (NHTSA). Recognition errors can be severely limited when the driver knows about how they should react on the road. And it’s important to remember that teen drivers - who are less experienced than older adults -  have the capacity to not only take driver’s Ed courses and retain important driving knowledge in their head, but also to practice driving safely with a parent before they even get their license. This way, the parent(s) can pass down the insight they’ve gained from years of driving to their teen and help build their confidence so that they can be prepared for whatever happens on the road.

However, even if they are well experienced and used to driving safely, teens must also be prepared to react to reckless drivers when they encounter them. One day, when my mom was 16, she was riding in the passenger’s seat of her sister’s car. When the light turned green, they began to drive forward. But, before they could make it through, another driver ran a red light and collided with them in the intersection. Neither my mom nor her sister saw it coming - that is, until it was too late. This shows that even those who are paying attention to the road are at risk due to the drivers around them, who may or may not be driving as safely as they are. If a good number of car crashes can happen when only some of the people involved were driving recklessly, how much more can happen when none of the drivers are acting responsibly? This makes driver awareness all the more crucial. The more you are prepared to drive safely, the easier it will be to prevent a collision despite reckless drivers.

After a year of having my license, I can safely say that it’s good to have just the right amount of confidence on the road. Being overconfident means you take driving less seriously, which can lead you to take unnecessary and dangerous risks. However, a lack of confidence in your abilities can cause you to panic when you encounter any sort of unknown or dangerous situation, which makes you ill-prepared to deal with problems. Instead, you as the driver should be willing to acknowledge how much you actually know about driving, and you should always strive to learn more. This will allow you to know exactly which decisions to make on the road in order to keep you, your passengers, and the drivers around you safe.