Teen driving is an extremely important public issue because it is faced by every country, and despite significant advances in technology and enforcement, countless accidents still occur annually. Approximately 1.19 million deaths occur due to road accidents per year (World Health Organisation, 2023), and road accidents are the leading cause of death in people aged 5-29 years (World Health Organisation, 2023). Therefore, it is vital for us to understand the causes of the problems we face on the road, work towards improving road safety as a society, and enforce effective laws to prevent human mistakes.
One of the biggest problems teenagers face on the roads is reckless behaviour. Aggressive driving and ignoring traffic rules lead to tragic accidents every day. Furthermore, distracted driving, most notably due to mobile phones, further increases the risk of accidents and alterations. In fact, in 2023, 3,275 people in the USA passed away from distracted driving (NCSA, 2025). One particular personal experience I’ve had driving is being overconfident — I had been turning in a tight, descending road in a parking lot, where I ignored my dad’s advice to shift the car to the right more, and unfortunately scraped his car in the back slightly. This was my first (and only, so far) accident when driving, and I learnt that it is vital to be cautious when driving at all times, and carefully listen to the advice from more experienced drivers. While this accident wasn’t very serious, and didn’t impact any other cars around us, it helped me realise that as someone with only a few months of driving experience, it is important to stay vigilant and not become reckless when driving.



To improve road safety, it is important to ensure we all follow traffic rules, respect speed limits, and avoid distractions, such as mobile calls. For this, education is greatly significant in promoting responsible behaviour, as knowledge is shared about road safety in communities. Campaigns and organisations can also be supported to raise awareness about traffic safety. In addition, laws can be changed or introduced to further consolidate road safety. For instance, stricter penalties for distracted driving should be implemented and enforced with more cameras. For example, in California, the penalty for the first instance of distracted driving is only a $20 fine, and has not led to any decrease in the rate of rear-end crashes with injuries in 2017 - rather, it led to a 2% increase in its rate (IIHS, 2022). In comparison, in Washington, where the penalty was set to a $136 fine for a first offense, the rate of rear-end crashes with injuries decreased by 11% (IIHS, 2022). Thus, by acknowledging the problems that still lead to increased road accidents, and committing ourselves to responsible behaviour, we can create a safer environment for all. It is truly vital that each and every member of society adhere to proper traffic rules and for the government to enable safer driving behaviour.
Another common issue that endangers teenagers on the road is drunk driving. This often occurs from an increased freedom in their own choices and the lively party life in colleges. One idea to help prevent drunk driving among teenagers is by using social media as a tool to raise awareness, give advice, and share real experiences from drunk driving. Today, social media is the primary form of sharing news and other forms of content, and is what teenagers spend a large amount of time on everyday. Social media also has a very large range - both geographical and among various social groups. This means that if we use social media to spread the message of drunk driving, such as by highlighting the negative impacts of drunk driving, sharing first-hand experiences, and inviting popular influencers who appeal to various audiences to further raise awareness, then teenagers will feel inspired to act by actively avoiding drunk driving and encouraging others to do the same.
This idea can be done in actionable steps, beginning with encouraging teenagers themselves to create videos about drunk driving awareness. This can start with holding school or social media contests to create the most informative and engaging short video on drunk driving impacts and advice against it. This would lead to a welcoming and attractive way for teenagers to educate themselves on drunk driving, and involve themselves in spreading awareness about it. Additionally, the content created from school or community competitions can be posted on the groups’ respective social media accounts, educating others and spreading the activism of teenagers against drunk driving. This can be expanded by inviting survivors or families affected by drunk driving incidents to share real stories on student-run forums. This would inform teenagers about the experience of being involved in drunk driving itself, and allow them to better understand the dangers of it. Thus, social media is a versatile and wide-ranging tool to reach teenagers and spread awareness about drunk driving. This can be done in actionable steps, such as hosting competitions in school and on social media, where participants discuss the impact of drunk driving and how to avoid it. The content produced can then be shared onto various social media platforms by the institute to reach more people.
In conclusion, teenager driving safety is a vital public issue that impacts people in every country, with some common causes of accidents being reckless and drunk driving. Some ways to effectively prevent this is to educate other teenagers via short videos and content that is very accessible to them, involving them with competitions, and tightening some controls and penalties for careless actions, such as using a phone when driving.