In my sophomore year of high school, I was riding with a friend on the way to a birthday party. My friend's mom was checking in on her wondering what time she would be back, said friend got on her phone and was able to respond to her mom before the light turned green and she began to make her turn. In that same second she had to slam on her brakes while a driver honked at her in anger, she laughed it off as a silly mistake while I was still in shock thinking of how this could have ended. While my friend thought she made it in time for the green light, in her haste she did not realize or remember it was not her light to turn on. She was a new driver who had just got her license, she still drove with her seat all the way up making sure both hands were on the wheel at all times and yet she soon fell into the habit that many teens have when driving. One of the largest issues seen in teens driving is being distracted on their phones, and this action is extremely normalized. With different friends I have rode with I've seen them, getting on their phones to respond to a text, change a song, or even check their social media.
Despite teens being on their phones while driving having major impacts, they also face other issues such as driving under the influence and overall lack of driving experience. Many teens don’t realize the true harms of driving under the influence, with the belief that they will be the exception, telling themselves they drive better with it or they're sober enough. This causes just as much of an issue as phone distractions due to these crashes usually being fatal for one of the parties involved and generally life damaging in some aspect. Following these issues is a lack of experience teens can have while driving, whether it be not knowing what a sign means, not being able to recognize hazards or overall poor decision making skills. All of which can result in a car crash. These issues teens have when driving can be extremely troublesome if not corrected or tackled correctly.
Teen driver safety is an important issue right now since it will ensure there is safety on the road. Having this safety will help prevent deaths that can occur from crashes caused by teens, seeing that they are more likely to get in crashes. There are numerous things that teens themselves can do to prevent the issues they face stated above. For starters, to prevent them being on their phones, teens could make it so their calls go through their car speakers if possible, and have their siri or alexa built into phones read their texts out loud. When it comes to driving under the influence, teens need to stop interacting with substances, and if not possible they should surround themselves with people who will discourage them from doing them or driving while using them. Finally when it comes to lack of experience, teens need to go through driver's education and do outside practice with an experienced adult. Though many can learn from a guardian, this does not guarantee they will get all the education they need when it comes to driving. I believe driver's education will really help teens and their driving safety since it makes sure teens know the right rules and regulations when it comes to the road. It teaches them how to navigate all situations they may encounter on the road in a safe environment and it spreads awareness of the importance of driving safety.
With the issues that teens are facing with driving, it takes more than just them to make sure they are safe drivers. Communities and parents involved can make sure they inform and warn teens against driving under the influence or with distractions. Communities need to make driver’s education as accessible as possible for teens so that they learn from a professional. Parents need to make sure their teens are driving the proper amount of hours to get their license and also that they are setting a good example when driving. They themselves need to not use their phones when driving and practice unsafe driving habits. To combat the lack of safety teens face with driving it takes a team effort to ensure that the road will stay safe and the habits will no longer exist.