Teen driver safety is an important public topic because teens, being new to driving and the rules behind it, must be sufficiently and frequently reminded that driver safety has no leniency and one mistake could cost lives. Regulations and rules in place now are great and fairly effective at informing teens about the laws and customs around driving. Alongside typical driver’s ed, many teens learn from their peers and by seeing their parents drive over the years. However, in 13 states, specific lessons to get a driver’s license are not required. I think that is the most obvious place to start. It may seem tedious, but making sure everyone has that knowledge is worth the cost and time. Otherwise, teens are risking it by learning in a less uniform way and likely increasing the chances of crashes, injuries, and maybe even deaths.

I believe teens face major distractions from their phones. It’s become widely known that in recent years, teens and young adults are on their phone more often. This often occurs while driving as well. I would know. My one and only accident came early on in my driving career and while it was not entirely my fault, I had been listening to a video on my phone. As a result, my full attention was not on the road. This led me to failing to notice a last second turn signal, and I hit a truck. Fortunately, this was at a slow speed, so no one was injured. However, it scared me greatly. Because of how much it frightened me, the potential for it to have been worse, and because my mother made me pay hundreds for the damage to her car, I am now more attentive while I drive. I am also now better with turn signals and awareness in general, so I don’t end up on either side of an accident. I began to better understand and pay more attention to everything around me and driving defensively, which I did not understand at first. After all, while I was lucky and my crash happened on a slow street and at a slow speed and the other vehicle did not get damaged and no one was hurt, that mistake easily could have been made on the highway, with a small car, or at a high speed resulting in multiple injuries and much higher costs - money or lives.

I know I am not the only one who has listened to or watched videos while driving. I have talked with a few people who do that or text and drive regularly. An idea I have used when driving that I have just generally applied to anything I do when I need to focus, is to “Make it Invisible”. I just keep all temptations out of sight and, thus, out of mind. I will silence my phone and put it face down or in my bag out of reach, so I don’t have the urge to use it until I get to my location. Of course, there are some scenarios where you may need your phone. Navigation apps and urgent calls immediately come to mind. In those cases, you can still take steps to have as few distractions as possible. While using navigation apps, turning on Do Not Disturb is a great idea. Now, nearly every vehicle has Bluetooth and some form of hands-free calling. Those are all useful ways to stay safe while driving. Also, I keep telling myself that almost everything I want to watch or listen to is going to be there later. There is no need to risk safety for something I can watch or listen to later.

When it comes to reinforcing safety among teen and young adult drivers, there’s not much more adults can do than be constant and annoying about safety. Just like what I faced in my first accident, there is a level of worry that many young drivers will not fully understand until they face the danger themselves. That is how I truly learned that there is no leniency with these driving practices and began to adopt them like my life depended on it – because it does. However, constant reminders from the outside, such as parents, radio hosts, and even roadside signs may be just enough to make someone concede and put their phone down. So ultimately, I believe maintaining what we have in most states: safety programs, lessons, and frequent reminders while driving, and adding those practices in the states that don’t have them, is the best way to set the best possible stage for new drivers without being unnecessarily restrictive towards them.