In a time where distracted driving is at an all-time high, teen drivers are one of the most important issues in communities today. The statistics around car injuries and deaths reveal how dangerous driving is, especially for new and inexperienced drivers. In America, there are more driver inflicted deaths in a year than the combined number of Americans who died in the Iraq AND Afghanistan Wars. Within two years, the death toll raises over the number of American deaths in the Vietnam War. This shows that something we all see as routine, is statistically more deadly than going to combat for us Americans.

Drivers ed can play an essential role in controlling this issue. When teens are first awarded their license, it’s a sense of newfound freedom along with new responsibilities. I am turning 20 soon, so I am still a novice when it comes to driving compared to some of the people I drive around every day. Me being still young, I can remember what it felt like when I first got a driver's license and car. It was exhilarating; being able to go get food, see my friends, drive to school and sports, and recently make the two-hour trip to see my girlfriend occasionally, when I am in college. Behind this freedom, there is also a risk. The main lesson drivers ed should be focused on is how each decision we make: whether its texting, snapchatting, or changing music has a consequence for both us drivers and the people driving or getting driven around us.

These statistics we were given for this essay emphasize the importance of the mindset we should all have when we get behind the wheel. The graph we were given shows the number of motorized deaths began to slowly fall, before a rapid increase in the 2000s. These statistics show that it's not the cars fault for the death increases, it's the peoples fault. Since the 2000s, technology has been growing and growing which leads to more usage and more distraction when driving.

Us teens face new challenges when driving that older generations didn’t. Our biggest distraction and cause for these bad habits is our cellphones. We get so many temptations to take our eyes off the road like when our phone buzzes, we see a notification pop up, we receive a call, etc. I have had many struggles with this as well, I would check my phone or change music while driving thinking it was harmless and would just help me not get bored while driving. But I realize how that split second, I check my phone can be the difference between life and death. Say someone switches lanes without checking blind spots or using their signal and I am on my phone, I won’t notice until it is too late and when I am on the highway a crash like that can be detrimental. I have now begun to put my phone on “Do not Disturb” to avoid these habits becoming something I continue to do.

Another obstacle for safe driving with teens is peer pressure from friends. I can think of many times where I have been in a car or been challenged by a friend to take part in unsafe driving techniques, such as speeding. Pressure from others is something that can put people in uncomfortable situations, which further adds danger to the roads we are trying to clean up every day.

Creating a safer driving environment requires effort all around from teens, parents, schools, and communities. For new drivers, it starts with the personal responsibility to follow the rules of the road such as following the speed limit, using signals, using your seat belt, and speaking up if you have a friend who drives dangerously. It only takes one drive for you to spend the rest of your life regretting not telling someone to drive safely or following the road rules set in place. Schools can use exposure to show people what can happen if we do not drive safely on the road. They can show kids statistics, tell them real stories from their area, and even show them real crash results to show the results of distracted driving.

For me, learning from my own experiences and mistakes has begun to reshape the caution I take when I am on the road. Although I have already begun to take the right steps ahead, the statistics comparing vehicle deaths to war deaths have really put a perspective on how dangerous driving really is in America, and how desperate we need to be for change. Driving is not all about getting from point A to point B quickly; it’s about making sure we get there safely as well. If I am able to stay committed to the discipline, I set myself up for when driving, I know I can carry the same level of commitment to other aspects of my life.