The Impact of Community and Preventive Measures on Reckless Driving

Recently, 2 of my mom’s friend’s kids were killed in a car accident along with 1 other kid and the driver. The others in the car and in surrounding cars are in critical condition. The teen who hit them was going 112 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone. This was not the first time this teen had totaled a car. It was the third time. This horrible event could have been prevented if the teen knew exactly what his mistakes could cost.

Educating drivers and especially making sure young drivers know the gravity of crashes can reduce the amount of reckless driving. This needs to be done not just by driving instructors, but also by the community. In the previous crashes, the teen had gotten off without a ticket, and parents did nothing to dissuade the dangerous behavior. One of the police officers that responded to a previous crash said that “It’s a mistake, mistakes happen. Lessons need to be learned, as long as you learn it.” (Steinbuch 2024). Evidently, this lesson was not learned and it cost the lives of 4 people.

The blame could be placed on any of the people involved in that situation. The parents or the officers. Members of the community should reinforce the responsibility that drivers hold. After all, cars can weigh anywhere from 1 ton to 5 tons and at high speeds, this proves to be deadly. Families of young drivers should teach teens about collisions, making sure that they understand how much they are accountable for if a crash were to happen. Adults provide examples for youth, if the parents kept replacing totaled vehicles, then they reinforced the reckless behavior.

In both instances, the teen responsible for the deaths was not charged by the officers at the scenes. This negligence to do their duty was another factor in the final crash. If the officers had taken the teen’s license away or charged him with a ticket, he may have learned his lesson. However, it’s hard to say or place the blame on past events. Incidents like these show the impact that officers have on youth and the wide reaching consequences of negligence.

It’s important to note that age matters when driving is involved. Young drivers are more likely to commit traffic violations, and especially those who are new to driving. In 2022 Washington state reported that “18–20 year-old novice drivers were involved in twice as many injury and fatal crashes compared to their same age peers who received driver training and obtained an intermediate license at age 16.” (Washington Traffic Safety Commission). This safer driving can be attributed to going through classes and the required driving with an experienced driver. Older people who have been driving for some time can relate important experiences to new drivers to help teach them to drive safely.

Additionally, driving instructors and the lessons they teach have a huge impact on new drivers’ attitudes towards driving. Instructors are responsible for teaching the driving laws of the state, and further responsible for students retaining that information. Lessons should be engaging and memorable, while still staying informative. Driving laws can be hard to understand, legal jargon is not something that everyone can easily figure out.

If driving infractions happen, steps can be taken to prevent repeat offenses. In 2021 a study aimed to see if emotion regulation (ER) and specifically mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) could reduce the amount of repeat traffic violations in offenders. The study, done by Sabina Baltruschat et al, stated that “…participants who were trained in mindfulness do not show differences in ER but showed improved performance in risk situations and had fewer accidents in comparison with both control groups.” Mindfulness about the effects reckless driving can have can lead to drivers being safer on the road. It’s important to note that the study needs to prove the effects of this in the long-term. However, this doesn’t discount the impact that the study had. MBIs can reduce repeat offenses, and this could be implemented in juvenile detention centers.

Overall, community is one of the most important factors in preventing reckless driving behaviors. Because of the lack of action in the community surrounding a teen, 4 people were killed and more are in critical condition. It’s imperative that parents recognize dangerous driving behaviors in their teens and take steps to prevent further reckless driving. Police should not let dangerous behaviors go unaccounted for, as it can deter such conduct. Lessons need to be learned, and it’s up to the people closest to drivers to help enforce good driving practices.