Driving distracted teenagers is a major issue today and only continues to get worse. Car crashes are the leading cause of death in young adults. And as a nation, The United States is not doing enough to prevent it. One of the programs available is Drivers Education which is both an online program and a physical school available for students with their permit trying to get their license. The online program is 30 hours full of educational videos, stories and quizzes. The in-person program is the same length but includes 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training. It teaches young drivers about traffic laws, different driving techniques, and how to handle a vehicle safely when the need arises. It establishes the routine of putting your seatbelt on as soon as you get into the car as well as driving without getting on your device. Some institutions even provide drivers with courses on how to drive defensively with other bad drivers around or bad weather. Some insurance companies even offer a discount on policies if you take the course.
However, despite the options teenagers have, accidents are growing more common as time goes on. From distracted driving due to technology or passengers in the car, fatal accidents are happening right and left. Controlling this statistic and getting the numbers down is not an easy task. You can pull kids over, administer tickets, try scary tactics and take away the keys but at the end of the day, it's up to the driver to take the road course seriously. You can lead a horse to water, but you unfortunately cannot make them drink. The role of parents in promoting healthy driving habits is to set clear rules and boundaries for their young drivers. On the other hand, they also need to provide a rescue plan if their child feels unsafe as a passenger in a car. Ultimately, leading by example, constant reminders and communicating with your child are the best ways to navigate a young driver being safe behind the wheel.
When I was in high school, there was a day that every grade crammed into the auditorium, and we had to watch this presentation on distracted driving. They gave us 3D glasses, and we watched and collectively answered questions throughout the presentation. The whole point was to make new and old drivers aware of the possibilities of the road. Every time you get behind the wheel, your life could be in danger. Many people don't realize just how quickly things can go south until it happens to them or someone they love. I have had both happen to me. While I could tell you the story of losing 3 friends to a head on collision with a tree one rainy night or the permanent disability a sweet friend of mine has after she had a power pole come through her windshield because she wasn't paying attention or even my own poor choice in letting someone drunk drive me home, I am going to use my own personal car accident, as it was the most life changing for me. It was winter before I graduated high school, and it was close to dusk. I dropped my sister off at a football game and headed to meet some friends. I came up on a red light and hopped on my phone to change the music. It was just going to take me a quick second but then out of my peripheral vision, I saw the light change to green and I hit the gas. Only, it wasn't my light that turned green. I went headfirst into another truck sending me through the windshield because not only was I on my phone, but I was also not wearing a seatbelt. I crawled out of the car, delirious, bleeding from my ears and nose and in excruciating pain. Most of all though, I was hurting emotionally. Horrified that had that accident happened 5 minutes prior, my baby sister could've been killed, and it would be 100% my fault. That night in the hospital, my mom was just concerned about my well-being. “Vehicles can be replaced, " she said “Lives can't." That has stuck with me to this day. Don’t get me wrong, I am far from perfect, I still get on my phone at stoplights, still ride around with rowdy passengers but I can confidently say that I am very overprotective when it comes to my people and the drivers around me. I can see a lane swerve from a mile away.
As I mentioned before, some insurance companies offer policy discounts to drivers that are deemed safe. And while it is state law that as a new licensed driver, you are not allowed to ride with anyone under 21, it is not enforced. The same goes for curfews. While the final drivers test varies from state to state, if the department of motorized vehicles put more effort into the safety side of their tests, many students would not be ready for the test. Furthermore, proving how incapable this new generation is. If states would choose to enforce the policies they already have, I think the number of young motor vehicle crashes would decline. These changes would not make a difference overnight, and I understand the stretch it would put on deputies and the DOT, but we’ve got to start somewhere.