Did you know that as of 2023, 3,048 teens aged 13-19 died in motor vehicle crashes, and that is only 7% of the total number of deaths involving a motor vehicle crash (Fatality Facts)?  In the United States alone, as of 2023, 7 % of youth aged 10-19 died in a motor accident. Teens who were drivers, passengers, or pedestrians were killed in vehicle-related accidents. From the years 2013-2023, the number of deaths has fluctuated from 2,500 to 3,100 (Fatality Facts). To reduce this number even more, we need to focus on the main issues of why these accidents often happen. The process of getting a license isn’t easy per se, but teens today “consider driving an entitlement rather than a privilege, disregarding the fact that adolescent accidents are commonly linked to distractions, intoxication from drugs and alcohol, and inexperience or failure to follow traffic laws.” (Adams) The numbers have been rising from 2019, when 2,394 teens died, to 2023, when 3,048 have died (Fatality Facts). That’s about 700 more deaths. Yes, over those 4 years, there have been small increases and decreases, but 2019 is a critical point where the number of deaths starts to increase.
This issue has always been a public problem, and the process of getting a license, or the teens' lack of responsibility, or the fact that it’s become a norm to get one's license when they are a teen, is to blame. Either way, some teens still lack the responsibilities that come with driving. There is a portion of those deaths due to alcohol and drug consumption. 109 teens aged from 16-17 were fatally injured with a driver having a blood alcohol content greater than 0.08% and 231 aged from 18-19. These numbers may be small for teens, but looking at ages 31-60, 2756 people have been fatally injured due to the same cause (Fatality Facts). This doesn’t necessarily mean that age is correlated to a continuous of drinking and driving. 
Alcohol consumption is just one issue; another is the process of getting a driver's license. The process of getting a license when you are a teen is to go through driver's education classes, take two exams to get one's permit, then practice and take their driver's test. These young drivers also need to record the number of hours they drive. Here is where many may lie about the number of hours they have practiced. I’ve heard personally from my peers when I was in high school that the actual amount of hours, they practiced was either half the time needed or a couple of hours short of the 45-50 hours needed before taking the exam. They all passed their driver's exam, but that doesn’t mean less practice is needed. I’d go as far as to say there should be a way to make sure that they did do the total amount of hours, because there is a difference between a good driver and a responsible driver. One has the skills of driving, while the other is a bit more cautious about driving, but is consistent in driving safely. 
A challenge that teens experience is social pressure. This is in the form of friends distracting the driver, the driver’s phone going off, or the driver using their phone when driving. As teens experience many social changes, they are also still learning how to be a part of society, and they want to be involved with their peers. A split-second distraction while driving can be fatal. Checking one’s phone while going 55 mph can cause serious damage to the driver, passengers, or anyone nearby. 
While there are many actions people can do, it’s up to the teen to digest that information. Whether it be in the form of the school, communities, or their parents. They all might remind them to be careful, or tell them the frightening statistics, and teach them how to drive, but it is ultimately their choice. But there are ways to convince them, and that is to be consistent. It might be frustrating for teens at first because of the consistent reminders of accidents and reminding them to always be alert. They may not feel the responsibilities instantly, but the more they are on the road, the more they’ll see other drivers and realize the importance of always being alert. Since a lot of the information is repetitive, it’s easier to remember in times of need. 
Another way to teach teens is to tell them ways to overcome peer pressure or how not to get easily distracted by their surroundings. Some examples are putting their phone on silent mode when they are driving, asking their friends not to be too loud, telling them they are allowed to make demands since they are the driver and are responsible for the passengers that are in the car, practicing is another element. The more the driver drives, the easier it’ll be for them to make the right calls when driving, making it almost muscle memory at some point.
A study was done to test whether practicing more had any impact on teen drivers, and the results show that it does help. “‘Teens that practice driving, especially in a variety of environments, throughout their learner’s permit stage, help reduce their crash risk and improve safety outcomes once they are out driving on their own,’ said Charlie Klauer, a research scientist at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI).” The specific purpose of the study was an analysis of 82 teen drivers who were monitored via cameras inside their cars for 22 months. They were being monitored from when they got their permits until the first 12 months of their independent driving (Holbrook).
Also, implementing stricter procedures during the driver's education classes can decrease motor vehicle accidents. For example, introducing ways to teach young drivers the dangers of the road, rather than using a slide show, taking harder exams, or more than one exam before they get their permit, so they can understand just how much weight a license has. Additionally, laws can be made to discourage reckless driving, such as increasing fines, or the government could enhance public transportation to make it more accessible to the public and reliable. These small steps can help prevent more motor accidents as well as help the public with trustworthy transportation, so they don’t feel the need to get their license from a young age
I’ve experienced firsthand, as a passenger, almost being in an accident a couple of times because the driver was distracted for a split second. This is one instance where the driver was too tired and wasn’t aware of his surroundings. It was a mid-summer day in Western Australia, and my Uncle was very tired that day because of the heat.  My Uncle was entering a roundabout, cars were going by, then there was a gap where we could enter. My Uncle didn’t take the turn. Maybe he was too tired to notice, but right before he did, a car came up just as we were about to enter, and my Uncle hit the brakes so very fast, causing both of us to be pulled back into our seats. There were also times when I’ve experienced a near-death experience because of another driver. My cousin was driving on the highway in San Francisco, CA. It was peak hour around 4-5 pm, so it was busy. We were all listening to some music that my cousin put on when all of a sudden a driver from 2 lanes to our left just sped up right in front of us, because they were trying to get into the same exit as us, this caused not only us but a couple of cars to slam their brakes because it was a very near collision. Luckily, there wasn’t a collision, but that was very irresponsible of the driver to do that. Even though my experiences didn’t involve teen drivers, there are lessons teens should pay attention to. That is to always be alert and to make responsible decisions while you are on the road. That decision to speed up or be on the phone isn’t only going to affect the driver themself but other people on the road too.
Another way to help decrease teen motor accidents is to implement stricter procedures during the driver's education classes. For example, introducing ways to teach young drivers the dangers of the road, rather than using a slide show, taking harder exams, or more than one exam before they get their permit, so they can understand just how much weight a license has. Additionally, laws can be made to discourage reckless driving, such as increasing fines, or the government could enhance public transportation to make it more accessible to the public and reliable. These small steps can help prevent more motor accidents as well as help the public with trustworthy transportation, so they don’t feel the need to get their license from a young age.




Work Cited
Adams, Elizabeth. “Teach Teens That Driving Is a Privilege, Not an Entitlement.” UKNow, 7 Sep. 2016, uknow.uky.edu/content/teach-teens-driving-privilege-not-entitlement-0.
“Fatality Facts 2023: Teenagers.” IIHS, 2015, www.iihs.org/research-areas/fatality-statistics/detail/teenagers#trends.
Holbrook, Eric. “New Study: Teen Drivers Safer with More Practice.” Virginia Tech News | Virginia Tech, 23 May 2025, news.vt.edu/articles/2025/05/vtti-research-teen-driving-practice.html.