Getting your driver’s license is one of the most important milestones in your life. It provides you more independence but also comes with responsibility. My dad’s told me that you’re driving a death machine and every time you drive, not only is your life at stake but so are the lives of others. Despite this responsibility, teen drivers face challenges such as peer pressure and other distractions while driving. I’ve even seen firsthand how distractions such as music listening can lead to accidents. I was in the backseat of my brother’s car when he got into a car accident popping both of his tires. While the accident wasn’t severe, it taught me the importance of paying attention while on the road and how common distracted driving in teens can be with many lives being lost because of it. Because of these things, I think it’s important that teens learn good driving habits through schools and the communities surrounding them.
The safety of teen drivers is an important public issue because motor vehicle crashes have been the leading cause of death for teens for years. According to the IIHS-HLDI, in 2022, “2,283 teens (ages 13-19) died in the United States from crash injuries (IIHS-HLDI, 2023).” Not only that but IIHS-HLDI have also reported that, “teen drivers have crash rates nearly 4 times those of drivers 20 and older per mile driven (IIHS-HLDI).” IIHS-HLDI has also talked about some of the leading causes of car crashes. Things such as drinking while driving, speeding, and night driving have all been linked to car accidents. These statistics show that the safety of teen drivers is a concern in the US, and it is important to teach teens how to stay safe. That’s when programs such as Drivers Ed come into play. Drivers Education or Driver’s Ed for short is a program that’s designed to teach people how to drive and how to be responsible while doing so. Many schools have Drivers Education as a class and often require it to be taken. Drivers Ed has helped address the issue of the safety of teen drivers by teaching students the knowledge, skills, and the responsibilities of driving. Drivers' Ed programs have also been proven to reduce the risk of car accidents. According to Wiser Driver, “Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems have been shown to reduce crash risk by up to 50%,” showing that Drivers Ed programs do work and by implementing Drivers Ed programs into our schools and communities, it can help combat the issue of safety in teen drivers.
Today, teen drivers face many challenges while driving. One of these challenges is phone usage whether it’s texting or music. According to DMVedu.org, “94% of drivers acknowledge the risks of cell phone use while driving but 35% of teen drivers who acknowledge these risks admit to texting while driving anyway.” Even a few seconds on your phone can be deadly because you never know what can happen in those few seconds. Another challenge that teen drivers face is peer pressure. Sometimes, teens can fall into their friends peer pressure and can often make bad decisions because of that peer pressure such as drinking while driving, not wearing a seatbelt, and speeding. A third challenge that teen drivers face is lack of experience. Sometimes, parents are the ones teaching their kids to drive and often leave their kids to figure it out on their own which can affect their judgment and reaction time when a challenge arises while on the road. Despite these challenges, there are ways to overcome them. Teens can limit the music they listen to while driving and limit the number of passengers that go with them. Also, the teen can put their phone where they can’t see it so it can be out of sight, out of mind while they’re driving. Another way to overcome challenges in teen driving is to inform parents how to teach their kids to drive. Parents are often the ones that teach their kids to drive, and it is important that they teach their kids correctly. By setting boundaries, setting clear instructions, and being patient with their teen drivers, teen drivers can be more confident on the road. Drivers' Ed programs as mentioned before can also help combat the challenges that teens face while on the road.
An experience that I had with distracted driving was the time I was in the backseat of my brother’s car when he got into an accident. He was playing music at a loud volume when he all of the sudden went over a curb popping 2 of his tires. He had to pull over and call Triple A to tow his car while my dad picked me up and took me home. While the car accident wasn’t severe and no one was hurt, it taught me the importance of paying attention while on the road. The experience also taught me that even you can be affected by teen driving whether you’re the driver or a passenger, and even if you think distracted driving can’t affect you, it definitely can. That’s why it’s important to teach teens about overcoming distractions while driving and what to do when an urge to do something distracting comes up.
Because safety in teen drivers is an issue in the United States, it is important that we influence teens to practice safe driving. As mentioned before, teens can place their phones out of sight, out of mind while driving, limiting the amount of people that drive with them, and have their music either at a low volume or none at all. Schools can also enforce Drivers Ed into their curriculum to help decrease the risks of accidents. Though this has all already been mentioned, there’s more that we can do to help teens practice safe driving that hasn’t been mentioned yet. Schools can bring in guest speakers and spokespeople to talk about the importance of safe driving and how to be an alert and attentive driver. Schools can also bring in survivors of crashes, victims of unsafe driving, or law enforcement who have witnessed and dealt with car accidents to discuss the risks of unsafe driving habits, which in turn can further help teens make better decisions while driving.
In conclusion, getting your driver's license is more than what people think it is. Driving is a huge responsibility with lives at risk every time you drive. The safety of teen drivers is an important issue due to accidents being the leading cause of death in teens and the fact that teens face challenges while driving as well. With me in the backseat of my brother’s car while he popped 2 of his tires due to distracted driving, I know that even the smallest things can make the biggest difference especially when it comes to driving. Due to the importance of teen safety while driving, it is important that we teach teens to be safe drivers, and the risks involved if they let distractions get in the way. By implementing drivers ed in schools, parents effectively teaching their kids to drive if there’s no Driver’s Ed, and offering the perspectives of those who’ve experienced distracted driving firsthand, we can promote a safer driving culture for teens and decrease accidents caused by distracted driving.