My father is a “do as I say, not as I do” type of person. Throughout the years and years of being a passenger in his car, I have watched him speed, pull risky maneuvers, and play mobile games all while operating a motor vehicle. This caused me to develop the belief that my father was an irresponsible driver who was unfit to teach me the ways of the road. When it came time for him to take me under his wing and teach me how to drive myself, I was surprised to find he stressed the importance of safe and defensive driving, driving I would not observe from him. He was the one who hammered into my head that there was more to driving than simply getting a vehicle from point A to point B, and it is largely due to his influence that I am so cautious on the road today.
Teens, ages 15 to 18 specifically, have car crashes to thank for their leading cause of death. It is common for teens to feel a sense of immunity and invincibility as they mature. They perform risky behaviors, seek short-term rewards over long-term goals, and most dangerously, drive in ways that directly put their lives, and the lives of others, into jeopardy. It is for this reason that the main goal of all driver's education, whether from an institution or by one’s parents, is to convey the weight of what it means to get behind the wheel.
Driver’s education is greatly effective in reducing the amount of accidents and traffic violations teen drivers experience. According to a study reported by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, teens who complete driver’s education go on to become safe and defensive drivers, while teens who fail to do so are 75% more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident, and 16% more likely to cause an accident. Car accidents and traffic violations are highest among a driver’s first two years of driving, which coincides with the common age range of 15 to 18 years. Through driver’s education, teens can greatly lower that risk, continuing to drive safely in the years that follow.
However, driver’s education is more than learning road signs and pressing the gas, there are rules that must be followed, and rules that are often ignored by teen drivers. The most commonly repeated rule of the road is to never drink while under the influence, but even though the legal drinking age is 21 all across the United States, 19% of 15 to 18-year-old teen drivers that were involved in fatal crashes had alcohol in their system (NHTSA). Certain prescription and over-the-counter medication falls under “influence” as well, so it’s crucial to be aware of what a driver is putting into their system. On top of never driving drunk, one should never drive drowsy either. Just in 2021 alone, drowsy driving claimed 684 lives, and it may play a role in 10% to 20% of fatal or injury crashes overall (NHTSA). Drowsy driving affects a person in ways similar to how alcohol does, reducing your reaction time, slowing your reflexes, and overall making you unalert and unable to watch for hazards. Since teens are often stressed for sleep, it leaves many vulnerable to this seemingly subtle danger.
Driving while distracted is another rule that many teens are aware of but do not take seriously. Distracted driving is commonly thought of as simply texting while driving, but in truth, distracted driving is anything and everything that takes your attention off of the road. This means that texting, adjusting GPS, talking to passengers, and even changing the radio station are all instances of distracted driving. Studies have found that calling a friend while driving increases a teen’s crash risk by 6 times while texting while driving increases it by 23 times (NHTSA). Since teens often brush off “minor” distractions as not a big deal, it puts them at great risk of these dangers.
Lastly, there are the road rules of the speed limit and seat belt use. Teens, thanks again to their feelings of invincibility, tend to speed a lot. In 2021, speeding played a role in 32% of teen drivers involved in fatal car crashes (NHTSA). There are speed limits for a reason, and by speeding a driver brings many uncontrollable variables into their drive, such as potentially losing traction on a slippery road or having a reduced reaction window to sudden obstacles during a drive. As for seat belt use, it is the lowest among teen drivers (NHTSA). Again in 2021, 51% of teen drivers killed in fatal car crashes weren’t wearing a seat belt, and in those cases, 9 out of 10 times the other killed passengers weren’t wearing seat belts either (NHTSA). The most dangerous part of driving is the fact that a driver is only in control of their own vehicle. If worst comes to worst, performing the simple act of buckling up can be a matter of life and death.
The most dangerous thing to a new driver is their mindset. If a teen driver firmly believes that they’ll never get into an accident, they’ll drive in ways that put themselves and others at extreme risk. If a teen driver understands the dangers and responsibilities that come with operating a motor vehicle, then they’ll drive in ways that exhibit safe and defensive driving. This understanding is gained through driver’s education, and in order to continue being a safe driver, a teen must continue to keep this mindset as they age. Despite how my father chooses to drive his car, he never forgets the weight of driving. It was his understanding of that weight that he passed onto me, and it is an understanding of that weight that makes me a safer driver today.