Learning to drive is a crucial part in the path to adulthood. The freedom of going on roadtrips, to the store or even down the street on your own is the exciting part of growing up, and you can easily do that with a car and a drivers license. However, because of the eagerness to go out, there are a lot of safety precautions that are ignored. That is why teen driver safety and education plays a crucial role in the voyage to learning to drive. As teens are the future elders, it is important to teach them proper regulations and safety. The combination of inexperience, naive behavior, and constant distractions makes teenager drivers particularly vulnerable. Ensuring their safety is not only about saving lives but also about inhabiting responsibilities that tie into becoming an adult.
Incoming drivers, such as teenagers, face many sets of challenges. One of them is distractions, specifically from smartphones. The human connection to phones has grown so intense that they are practically glued to our fingers. I mean they are super convenient! It is a fast way of communication to our friends and family. With a touch you can play your favorite artists, either from 50 years ago or the most recent ones. But no matter how helpful phones have become it does not take away all the risks that come with it and teens should be made aware of that. One way to immerse this is through telling real-life stories, statistics and science-based studies on how humans simply can not multi-task. Everybody believes that this information does not apply to them, but through those ideas they can see that that is not the case. Also, features like Siri or voice commands were created to reduce those risks. Teenagers should be reminded of safe ways to keep their attention on the road.
Another issue that seems to contribute to recklessness on the road is car maintenance. Knowing how your car functions and what to do in situations where something is off could improve safety. Unfortunately, many schools fail to teach teens how to have your car running smoothly, I mean that is what we go to school for, no? To learn skills that will make us good, smart citizens. My high school did not provide automotive education, mainly due to funding issues, nor any sort of conversation about proper functioning vehicles. They might have not cared to teach me because I am a girl but we should all learn the basics in case of an emergency. What I know I learned from my older brother and not everybody has the luxury of a family member or friend explaining these things to you. Even in the pamphlets the DMV gives you to study does not provide adequate knowledge on your car. So, it could probably be a good investment to teach the underlying conditions of your car to ensure people take the right precautions.
I am grateful I have never witnessed or have been in a serious car accident, but I did lose a classmate due to reckless driving. It was my sophomore year of high school when this went down and our school took the important steps to educate us. It turns out on his way to school he was speeding and crashed into a pole. That week the school held multiple talks in the cafeteria to teach us about driver safety. Although I was still not driving at the time it taught me a lot about practicing slowly before you go out into the world. I had paid attention to every single word the principal was saying because I did not want to put myself, my family, or my friends in that saddening position.
So, what should we do as a community to help these issues? Teenagers, schools and parents all play a part in promoting safer driving. Committing to eliminating distractions, wearing your seatbelt, never driving under the influence and being confident are useful tips to have. Schools should provide drivers education that shows both good driving skills and car maintenance. Communities and local law enforcement could host safety workshops and awareness events, even the DMV could take part in this. Parents and guardians should stay involved and model good driving. With all these efforts coming together it creates a strong foundation for teens to get started in their driving careers.
In conclusion teen driver safety is not just a personal concern but a public responsibility. By recognizing the challenges new drivers face and guide them through the proper steps a safer future on the road can be ensured.