I, along with many people my age, have been put in numerous unsafe driving experiences due to teenagers driving recklessly in an attempt to take ownership of their independence with their brand new licenses. Allowing teenagers to drive other teenagers around is a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, I have never been anything as serious as a car accident, but I have watched those close to me be put in extremely unsafe situations. Recently, a close friend of mine got into a car accident due to irresponsible teenage driving. He, along with everyone in the car, was safe, but this goes to show the dangers of careless driving. However, that doesn't mean I haven't been in the passenger seat while the person driving was being unsafe. Things like not using turn signals, using their phone to change the music, and being distracted by other passengers, occur very frequently.
Rules on how to drive safely are all touched on during drivers education. I vividly remember my instructor for drivers education made it very clear how serious driving was and this stuck with me. Driver's education is such an important step in learning the ins and outs of the driving experience. Many people rely on outdated advice from parents or flat out terrible advice from friends, but drivers education speaks about the facts, plainly. It is a dense course, but it truly forces young people to listen to how important driving safely is. Driver's education lays out the laws, the inner workings of the car that not everyone knows, and shows true stories of the negative consequences that come with reckless driving. Many deaths involving driving are caused by the usage of phones or not paying attention which are two huge things emphasized in drivers education. Several teenagers and young people need these reminders because they aren't fully aware of how their actions have negative outcomes.
Teenagers cause several accidents on the road and are rarely safe while driving. Although it may be inconvenient for some, raising the age eligibility for a license would allow more young people to be more prepared for driving by themselves or without an adult present. It doesn't make sense for someone, at least in the state of Maryland, to get a permit before taking driver's education. The current system allows the parent, guardian, or person teaching the new student driver outdated ways of driving or incorrect rules, before they are taught the proper way. I think it would be best if a person had to take driver's education at 16, take the permit test, start driving, and then take their “in-cars” closer to 17 or 18. This allows for more mature aged drivers on the road and would eliminate several accidents on the road. There have been numerous instances where I've been shocked to see how many young people get their licenses and how reckless they can be on the road. Personally, I had to wait two years after I got my permit to be able to get my license, as a rule in my household. Many teneagers joke about bad driving, but it genuinely is worrying and can make anyone feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Another way to eliminate accidents and deaths is enforcing students to get a phone stand in their car that props up their phone. I, and many others, have been driven by people who use the GPS and have their phone on their lap. It is truly very dangerous and allows the driver to take their eyes off the road.
I am not claiming to be the perfect driver either, I have had moments of teenage driving, as well. However, I do take accountability for my mistakes and constantly strive to be the best driver I can be. Personally, controlling the volume of the music is something that I know I can work on when it comes to taking accountability for my driving. Although I would hate to admit it, it has been distracting at times and causes me to be less aware of my surroundings because I'm so drawn to the music. Another thing would be making sure to minimize the distractions with other passengers in the car. Driving friends around is no problem for me, but at times their conversations can be distracting. Lastly, I think I could control my speed in the car. It can be so easy to not be aware of the speed limit or think it's one thing rather than the other. Using apps like waze, could help with being more knowledgeable about the speed limit and being more mindful of how fast I'm going. As my father says, “Driving is not about yourself, it's about being aware of everyone around you. You can't be a selfish driver” and I think this is something all new and old drivers should internalize.