It is known for a fact that kids will become teenagers in the future, which means more responsibility for them, that they will need to drive to get to places like work, school, or even to the store, but there are cases of accidents happening while driving, which causes some to be hospitalized and some, unfortunately, dies. The reason why teen driver safety is an important public issue is due to the statistics that show how many teens have been killed by car accidents, which is much higher than that of any other age group of fully grown adults. And that teenagers are not receiving much support for their driving skills, or are not being recognized by anyone, since people believe that teenagers should already know how to drive without having any issues, which is not true. Drivers' education can play a role in addressing the situation by teaching teens how they can drive safely and what they can do to avoid getting involved in car accidents or being pulled over by police. Driver’s education can also teach teen drivers how to calm themselves down and recognize when it's the right moment to drive, even when they're feeling unwell, driving in the rain, or unfamiliar locations.
Some of the biggest challenges that teen drivers face includes being distracted by their phones, being pressured to drive to satisfy others, and driving without a permit or driver's license. Report shows that teenagers are the ones who mostly spend their time on the phones almost every day, which is also while they’re driving, thus causing them to get distracted answering their friends' calls or watching a video, which causes them to crash. Some teenagers want to show that they are tough, even if they're drunk, not feeling well, or that they want to do a trend, which is sometimes pressured by their friends who want satisfaction, but this can result in harming someone or causing the death of someone due to recklessness. And, the most common thing to hear on the news is that most teenagers don’t have a permit or a license while driving, which shows that they never took a class or did the driving's test, and having lack of experience can cause the driver to make the wrong decision while driving on a heavy road traffic thus causing an accident happening, or worse death. But, there are ways to overcome these issues, and that is by placing the phone in the glovebox, being honest and telling your friends that you can't drive if you know it's not safe for now, and taking the classes or driving test to gain some experience.
From my personal experience, having safe driving habits is required and beneficial since it can make the driving experience easier and less stressful. For example, when I was driving to work, I saw an oncoming vehicle coming right behind me, which led me to decide what to do to avoid getting struck from behind by the vehicle. I had to act fast, and luckily, I manage to remember something from my driving lessons and test that I took which is that I needed to move to my left or right side, and to so it is by letting other cars know that I’m going to move to their side, which is by using a turn signal light. I managed to avoid it just in time, which saved my life, the car I was driving, and the lives of other drivers who could have been involved in the accident as well. If it wasn’t for the classes or tests that I took, I would have panicked and hit another car or gotten hit from behind. Teenagers should have some safe driving habits to prevent getting harmed or getting into an accident.
There are ways to make driving experiences safer and more enjoyable for young drivers. Teens can take some lessons and practice how to drive and when to drive so that they can drive normally on the road and not cause any crashes. They can also drive only during the day and avoid the night since driving at night can raise the risk of causing a car accident, since it's hard to see at night. The schools can offer some driving classes and lessons so that teenagers can have an easier way to learn how to drive instead of going far to find a DMV and paying a lot of money just to learn a few things. Also, schools can promote some messages or lessons in class that teens should avoid drugs and drinking while driving to avoid death. And finally, communities should do some petitioning, or some fundraising, to work on making the roads safer by adding more speed bumps, stop signs, or speed limit, and warning signs. These are all the things that teens, schools, and communities can do to make driving safer for young people and more fun.