As a 23-year-old nanny and college student, I spend a lot of time driving. Whether I’m commuting to campus, taking the kids I nanny to school and activities, or simply running errands, I’m behind the wheel nearly every day. And while I’ve never been in a major accident, I’ve had a few close calls that forced me to wake up to just how dangerous driving can be—especially for young people like me.
Teen driver safety is a public issue that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. It’s easy to overlook the risks when driving becomes such a routine part of our lives, but the truth is, it only takes one second for a life to change—or end. Every time we get behind the wheel, we’re operating a machine that weighs thousands of pounds and moves at deadly speeds. The consequences of a moment of distraction, inexperience, or poor judgment can be devastating.
This is why I believe driver’s education is essential—not just as a requirement to get a driver's license, but as an ongoing, realistic conversation about safety. Driver’s ed should go beyond memorizing signs and rules. It should focus on real-world risks: how to manage distractions, respond to pressure, stay calm under stress, and drive with intention. When I first learned to drive at 16, I thought I knew everything. I passed the tests and felt invincible. What I didn’t understand was how quickly something could go wrong—and how unprepared I actually was to handle it.
Now, with several more years of experience under my belt, I’ve noticed some of the biggest challenges young drivers face today. The first, without a doubt, is distraction. Phones are a huge part of our daily lives—we use them to navigate, change music, answer texts, check social media—and it can feel almost impossible to fully disconnect. Even a glance down at a message can become a deadly decision. Then there’s peer pressure. As teens and young adults, we care so much about what others think, and sometimes that leads to speeding, showing off, or taking risks we wouldn’t normally take. And finally, there’s just plain inexperience. It takes time and practice to learn how to drive defensively, how to react under pressure, or how to make split-second decisions. But unfortunately, many young drivers don’t get that experience until it’s too late.
One experience that really shaped how I see driving happened a couple years ago while I was nannying. I had just picked up the kids from school and was driving them home on a busy road. I remember looking down for just a second to change the song on my phone—it was something I’d done a hundred times before. But that day, traffic suddenly stopped ahead. By the time I looked up and slammed on my brakes, I barely avoided rear-ending the car in front of me. My heart dropped. The kids were startled and scared, and I felt an overwhelming wave of guilt. That one second of distraction could have cost all of us everything.
Since then, I’ve made real changes in how I drive. I activate Do Not Disturb mode every time I get in the car. I set my music before I start driving and leave my phone out of reach. I no longer eat, do my makeup, or let my mind wander too far while on the road. I also talk to the kids I nanny about safe driving, because I want them to grow up with that awareness too. It’s a responsibility I take seriously—because I know what’s at stake.
To truly promote safer driving among young people, I believe we need a combined effort from teens, schools, and communities. Teens need to be encouraged to speak up—whether that means asking a friend to put their phone away or choosing not to ride with someone who’s reckless. Schools should integrate real-life driver safety discussions into the classroom—using videos, guest speakers, and simulations to show what can happen when you don’t take it seriously. And communities can do their part by offering free or affordable defensive driving courses, promoting awareness campaigns, and creating safe spaces for teens to learn and ask questions without shame or judgment.
Driving is a privilege, not a right—and one that comes with incredible responsibility. It’s not just about staying in your lane or following the speed limit. It’s about protecting yourself, your passengers, and everyone else on the road. The more we talk about it, reflect on our own habits, and support each other in being better, the safer our roads will be.
I’ve made mistakes. But I’ve also learned. And I hope that by sharing my story, I can be part of the change. We don’t need to be perfect drivers—we just need to be aware, intentional, and willing to grow. That’s how we take control. That’s how we stay in the driver’s seat.