Teen driver safety isn’t just another issue on the list of public concerns; it's more personal to me. Although I haven’t personally been in a car crash, I’ve seen more than I’ve wanted to see in my ten years of living in Florida. Because I travel often, I’ve witnessed accidents in all different forms: crumpled vehicles on the side of the road, fiery explosions, and sometimes scenes so fresh that you can hear the panic. What scares me is that a lot of these accidents involve teen drivers. Some I knew, some I didn’t, but the shock and fear always hit the same. There's something deeply unsettling about seeing someone’s life, especially someone around my age, cut short or permanently changed because of a car crash. It makes me fear for the people I love and care about, especially my older brother.

My brother started driving at 18 and is now 20. He’s careful behind the wheel for the most part, but many people his age are not. There have been times when my brother would come home shaken up because he almost experienced his life getting cut short due to another teen driver or someone recklessly driving. I’ve heard the things he's told me and my mom about seeing his friends drink and drive, get pulled over, or act like it's not a big deal when they do something dangerous behind the wheel. The lack of care and fear they express and show rubs me the wrong way, not just because they’re risking their own lives, but because they’re risking everyone else’s too.

Now that I’m in that same age group my brother once was, it feels even more real. Most of my friends can drive now. Thankfully, none of them have been in any kind of accidents this school year that I know of, but I can’t say the same for everyone else in my grade. Some have been seriously injured in crashes, whether it was from driving under someone else’s influence, going too fast, or thinking reckless driving is somewhat “cool.” I’ve even heard some people come to school bragging about crashing and surviving like it's some badge of honor. That mindset needs to change. Surviving a crash isn’t cool; it’s pure luck. And luck runs out at random times.

Driver’s education plays a huge role in fighting this kind of thinking. It’s not only about learning how to operate a car; it's about learning why every choice behind the wheel matters. It’s where teens like me should be taught that driving is a responsibility and not a game. When done right, driver’s ed can change the way teens see driving from something fun to something that has the potential to be extremely dangerous and should be taken seriously. It also opens up the conversations about real issues teen drivers face today, like distractions, peer pressure, and overall lack of experience.

Distractions, especially phones, are one of the biggest threats to teen drivers today. I am fully aware of the attention span of my generation, and I know it's terrible. I’ve used my phone many times while in the car, and that's because I'm not the one driving. I’ve seen people my age on their phones while driving, and I’ve even experienced almost losing my life because of a teen from my school not seeing me cross while I had the right-of-way, and almost hitting me at 30mph. It only takes a second of distraction to miss a stop sign or drift into another lane or even hit someone. Then there's peer pressure. Whether it’s a friend encouraging someone to speed, play music louder, or just act recklessly to seem fun or funny to others, it’s real, and it affects many in this situation. People my age want to be liked, and sometimes that gets in the way of being safe. And then there’s a lack of experience. I have no experience in driving, but from what I see, you can teach a teen the rules, but until they’ve driven in inclement weather or at night, they don’t fully understand how hard it can be to stay in control and alert.

As a teenager, I believe a safe future starts with honesty and accountability. We can’t act like we’re invincible behind the wheel just because we passed a driving test or because our friends do reckless stuff and “get away with it”. There are going to be times when a teenager slips up and doesn’t make the right choices while driving, but that's life, and we make mistakes. But we need to normalize being careful, not careless. I believe schools that have Driver’s Ed courses or are getting them should talk to us instead of just giving videos that no one listens to. Some schools could invest in things like driving simulations or even panels with people who have survived accidents. I believe the kinds of people in my generation are more outspoken than any other generation, and that could help decrease the rate of people my age losing their lives due to car crashes.