Between January 1st and July 10th approximately 18, 514 people lost their lives behind the wheel in the United States alone. This number in its entirety is tragic, but it is even more horrific when you look at each individual instance. Behind each statistic is a human being who left behind their friends, families, and futures in a twisted series of events. I am here to put names to the numbers.
Number 18, 509--Tuesday, May 27th Christopher was driving southbound on I-15, when a northbound vehicle suddenly went airborne, flying over the cable barrier and striking his beloved jeep. He was killed instantly. I will never forget the call I received from my dear friend, Jared. He said, “My dad was in a head on collision and was killed today. Man, my life sucks.” Joking through the pain, you could hear the devastation in his voice. Having lost his brother just 10 days prior, Jared was defeated. His mother was left to care for four grieving children. One family was shattered twice in less than two weeks.
Number 18, 512--Tuesday, July 8th, 18-year-old Bo lost control of his vehicle. He overcorrected and sent his car off the road, leading to his untimely death. A future that he had spent countless hours crafting was destroyed in an instant. His parents had to bury their son. His siblings had to watch as their brother was lowered into the ground. His friends were left with the unbearable reality that they would never see him again.
Bo saw himself as invincible. He was always in a rush; rushing to get ahead and rushing to get places faster. Ultimately, this need for speed and refusal to slow down cost him his life. He was speeding when suddenly, he lost control. He did his best to avoid a nearby pole, and instead, sent his vehicle off the edge of the road. The mere minutes of time he would have saved cost him his life.
I felt the color drain from my face as I heard the news. Nothing could have prepared me to see his lifeless body lying in a casket. As I looked down at his pale face, I couldn’t help but wonder-What was so important that he couldn’t slow down? Bo’s death was a wake-up call.
We live in a fast-paced world. As a young adult who has grown up in this world, I understand the pressure to keep up. Society teaches teenagers that they will get behind if they do not risk it all to get ahead. Drivers speed up to make up time, get ahead, and meet unrealistic expectations. But at what cost?
Though 29% of car accidents involve speeding, it is often ignored as a danger on the road. Nearly every driver has or will speed at some point in their driving career. Instead of being taught the importance of following the speed limit, teens are taught how far they can “safety” exceed them. To young minds, these loopholes stick, leading to the belief that laws are negotiable. Speed limits exist for a reason. They are not in place to aggravate drivers. Rather, to protect them. Until we teach teenagers the why behind these rules, they will continue to treat them as suggestions instead of life saving measures.
Then there’s distraction. With the rapid advance of technology in the last decade, distractions are becoming much more prevalent on the roads. The fear of missing out leads teenagers to glance at their phones, respond to texts, or check social media. However, there are tools in place to combat this distraction. Many phones come with a “Do Not Disturb” feature. This partnered with keeping the phone out of arms reach can significantly reduce the temptation to look at phones while driving.
The statistics are clear: Accidents are the leading cause of deaths for teenagers in the United States. Teenagers between the ages of 15-19 are 3 times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash than adults are. This isn’t surprising when you consider the fact that the human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. Teens lack the impulse control and decision-making skills needed for high stake situations.
Teenagers lack the mental maturity to be sent out onto the roads with a mere 40 hours of driving practice and a few memorized drills. Driving is so much more than memorizing signs, turns, and straight backing. It is understanding the immense responsibility that comes with operating a vehicle. It is controlling a multi-ton machine that could easily end a life.
Teenagers must be taught that driving is a position of power. We not only hold our lives in our hands, but those around us. Until we are willing to make that clear to the teenagers we teach to drive, reckless driving is bound to continue. Teenagers need to be taught the facts, harsh as they may be. They need to be aware that they could lose or take a life in an instant.
Parents play a vital role in shaping how teens drive. Teenagers learn primarily by example. From a young age, they watch what their parents are doing and start to form opinions and mimic behaviors. The decisions that parents make while driving have a profound impact on how their children will drive. If they see reckless, aggravated driving, chances are they will follow suit. However, if they see calm, calculated driving, they are likely to adopt these behaviors.



It is absolutely necessary to address the seriousness of driving in driver’s education classes. Rather than going through a state required checklist, these instructors need to provide facts, real stories, and personal experiences from the road. Teenagers struggle to internalize information unless they can connect with it emotionally. Stories like Christopher and Bo’s have the potential to change lives.
Reducing human beings to numbers makes it easy to avoid reality. These numbers represent sons, daughters, parents, and friends that were lost. Each one left someone behind. It is crucial to teach our young drivers that each and every decision they make on the road has an impact. They are not invincible, and neither are the drivers around them. If we teach this principle in a serious but compassionate manner, we have the power to change our roads for the better.