What are the biggest challenges teen drivers face today, such as distractions, peer pressure, or lack of experience, and how can they overcome them?


Teens of today face not only incredibly complex issues that have been around for generations but also those that are distinctly unique to their generation due to the rapid social change brought forth by the improvement of technology. Of course teens deal with many things that their parents may have also dealt with such as peer pressure and a lack of experience but the distraction factor is amplified more now than ever with the creation of smartphones.
Since driving became widespread, young people and teens have been tasked with the daunting mission of learning to operate this heavy machinery out of necessity. For the last one hundred years infrastructure in America has been solely based around cars and roads, effectively cutting off other sources of transportation and making it a requirement to learn to drive. This, for many teens, is an exciting moment in their lives as it marks the beginning of the freedoms that come with adulthood but it also comes with a great danger, a lack of experience. Of course while it is true that everyone must start somewhere and teens must gain their experience somewhere, they should not be or feel the need to rush into a driving situation they are not comfortable with before they are ready. For instance, when I received my learners permit and first began my in person driving journey, I stayed in a parking lot for several days to ensure that I was completely comfortable starting, stopping and turning smoothly. This was incredibly favorable to the alternative of starting directly on the road which may have led to an immediate accident or one down the road caused by a lack of fundamentals.
In the developing mind of teens one of the most important factors that influence their decisions is those around them and this makes sense. In a time when there are many things still unknown and the passion of youth is still present of course in certain situations without proper guidance you may look to your peers to make decisions even if they seem rash and unsafe. The most deadly and prominent effect of peer pressure in the teenage driving world is driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs and driving with someone who is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Whether it is you behind the wheel or not, if someone in a vehicle is driving under the influence they, as well as everyone else in the vehicle, are seven times more likely to die during that car ride. While it is the teenagers direct responsibility to ensure they do not enter a situation like this, it is also the older generation's responsibility to make these facts known and spread the knowledge of such risks to teens as those without knowledge could fall victim to peer pressure and die without ever quite knowing what they were getting themselves into.
Lastly, a relatively new challenge teens must now deal with is avoiding distractions with technology. Smartphones and other portable smart devices are optimized to be as addicting as possible and keep the user coming back. This combined with a task such as driving that requires one hundred percent focus at all times is a deadly combination that is only sure to rise as technology is further developed. An example of this is although there are several ad campaigns protesting the action of texting and driving, while it should be a sufficient warning to a logical thinker, is not a completely reliable message due to increased uses of technology. For instance, I have never once attempted to text someone while driving, however I have found myself looking at my phone still to change a song, look at a notification, or take a call, all of which could be considered just as bad as texting and driving. I believe to combat this the old tired message of anti texting and driving needs to be updated to something that is more relevant and fitting to the current dangers and risks associated with today.
In conclusion, there are a multitude of mistakes a teenager can make when beginning their time driving but there are also plenty of reliable guides to prevent them from being subjected to common pitfalls. For distractions, teens must see not only texting but all technology for what it is and learn to put it down when it matters most. For peer pressure, adults must teach their children the risks of subjecting themselves to dangerous situations their friends may put them in. And for lack of experience, teens must not rush headfirst into driving but ease themselves into the roads safely.