Teen drivers on the road can create a public safety issue because they are inexperienced. Teen drivers lack the knowledge to understand the dangers and responsibility that come with being behind the wheel of a car. The state of Kansas introduced new laws on January 1, 2010, that affected the age and requirements for teens to obtain a driver's license. Starting at the age of 14 with your parents' permission you can obtain a permit if you can pass the written test or take a drivers' education course. From there you must hold a permit for at least one year and record a minimum amount of driving hours during the day and night before moving on to a restricted license at the age of 15. With a restricted driver's license, you are allowed to drive to work or school, and you may only have siblings in the car. As you turn 16 the license becomes less restricted, then on your 17th birthday you earn a full privileged license if you have met all the requirements. In addition to adding these new requirements the law was also changed to limit technology use, and late-night driving. It is important for teens to get the right amount of education and experience, so they are aware of the consequences that can result from being a distracted or irresponsible driver. As a new teen driver that has taken drivers' education, I can personally say that the course brought to light the dangers of irresponsible driving that I had not been aware of prior to my driving course.
A big challenge teen drivers face today are phones. Teen drivers can easily be distracted by their phones for a multitude of reasons. A few examples being the sound of an app notification, text messages, and phone calls. With technology today most teens can Bluetooth their phones to their cars which can lead to other distractions such as adjusting the music, trying to answer phone calls, reading text messages, and texting while driving. Other distractions that teens face are having multiple people in the car. If the other passengers do not understand the impact of distraction with a teen driver, this can be detrimental to an inexperienced driver. One way to minimize the distraction of phones is to turn off notifications prior to driving, adjust your seat, mirrors, air conditioning or heat, and music before putting the car in drive. There are even some phones that can be set to automatically turn off notifications when they sense that you are driving. A teen driver can also ask the passengers to be respectful by not yelling or goofing around while the car is in drive. The driver can also have the passenger take control of the radio so the driver can focus on the road. As a new and inexperienced teen driver, I was taught that if the keys are in the ignition, you are not allowed to touch your phone, even if the car is in park.
During high school I participated in a club called “Safe Club”. One of the clubs focuses was seat belt safety. We conducted surveys in the morning a few times a year. For the survey, club members would stand at the entrance of the school parking lot to tally the number of students that wore their seatbelts to school. The club would also observe and note if we could see any distractions such as cell phones. We also set up tables for students to pledge to always wear their seatbelts when driving. If a teen pledged to wear their seatbelt, they would automatically enter a drawing to win a prize. This helped bring awareness of the importance of buckling up and being safe when on the road.
I have never personally been in a car accident with a teen in the driver's seat. My mom shared her experience of being 16 and making a very irresponsible decision to hold the wheel of a car going 40 MPH while she was a passenger. The person actually in the driver's seat then lit a firecracker and threw it out the window. The sound of the firecracker scared my mom causing her to jump and jerk the wheel to the right hard enough that the car flew on to the curb and busted the wheel and axle. This accident totaled the car which also happened to be her first car. Thankfully nobody was hurt due to the irresponsible behavior and actions of her and her friends. This story highlights how peer pressure and teen driving can be a hazardous public safety issue. It is important that we continue to bring awareness of how our actions behind the wheel can have irreversible consequences.