Car Culture

Devin Studdard

Car Culture

Irresponsibility and teenagers, a trope throughout our society. From drinking to partying nonstop, teenagers across the United States get a bad rap but does that extend to driving too? The data seems to suggest so. From the CDC, teenage drivers ages 15-19 accounted for almost eight percent of the costs of motor vehicle injuries despite being only 6.5 percent of the population. The majority of teenage motor injuries are caused by newly licensed drivers and drivers not following basic road rules such as speeding. Education requirements and license restrictions have increased across the country but driving fatalities have not shifted as a result. In order to combat the pattern of accidents that young adults fall into, our government must enforce more impactful punishments and our culture must shift away from cars.

Our society places an excessive importance on driving, especially for men. It is viewed as a rite of passage for entering the adult world and a manly activity for young men. Drag races, fixing the car, and speeding with passengers are subtly encouraged for young men with their first car. While transportation is a necessity, the emphasis on driving as a manly activity encourages speeding and a flagrant disregard for road regulations. This toxic car culture informs the statistics about young male driving fatalities. In order to shift the conversation away from macho-esque driving, the dmv should raise awareness about driving fatalities, similar to New Zealand’s graphic advertisements. Furthermore, a joint state effort to improve public transportation across the United States will make driving less necessary for the average teenager. It will likely not replace the car, but it will raise the average age of driver’s in America. The car culture in America must change to reduce the number of young car fatalities.

The punishment system for drivers is flawed as it equates money with rehabilitation. The rich are able to pay off tickets with pocket change and skirt the system while the disadvantaged are often unable to pay their tickets at all. Although the point system works against this disadvantage, driving punishments are largely geared towards the rich. Community service, especially for young adult drivers, will give them time to think about their mistakes and won’t put undue stress on people who can’t afford a ticket. More importantly, it punishes the rich equally with the poor. The current profit based system for traffic violations will hurt the poorest people in our country and allow the richest to ignore the rules. Through a community based approach, teenagers will gain more insight into why traffic regulations exist and they will become more willing to learn from their mistakes.

Covid presents the perfect opportunity to implement sweeping change across our country. With less and less people driving, and many dmvs closing, changes to the way we ticket drivers and to the car culture will limit teenage accidents.