Safety in Young Drivers

The
safety of everyone on the road depends on the people in the driver’s
seat. Drivers hold the responsibility of having the knowledge and
experience to maintain safety on the road. Situations can change in
an instant when one is distracted on the road. That is why education,
practice, and conscientiousness need to be more valued and recognized
at every age. Each individual driver has a duty to protect others and
themselves while driving.

The
ability to get a driver’s license is a milestone for many teens as
they begin to develop independence and gain more responsibility.
These new drivers are much safer when they are better equipped and
free from distractions. All 50 States already have Graduated Driver
Licensing programs in place that attempt to mitigate some of the
danger that comes with beginning driving. This system is claimed to
reduce crash rates as much as 50 percent because it paces and
provides learning opportunities for young drivers. Unfortunately,
this approach is not seamless. A staggering amount of students are
hurt every year on the road. Many of the incidents are due to either
a lack of experience or distracted driving. Education is an extremely
important resource to be given to new drivers for the safety of
everyone on the road. New skills take time to understand and master.
Many schools provide some form of drivers ed in their
curriculum, but it often does not include practical experience or a
driving section. The teens that elect to take classes outside of the
required curriculum have been shown to have a lower accident rate.
The more informed and practiced a person is the easier it is for them
to become a safe driver. When I was a Junior in High School, a girl
in the grade above me got into an extremely devastating accident. We
were both involved in Student Government and avidly gave back to our
school through community service. Her car was destroyed and she was
in the hospital for a week. She was hit by a distracted driver in
front of our school. Before that, I had not realized the danger that
driving irresponsibly held. According to the NHTSA, in 2017 nine
percent of all teen motor vehicle crash fatalities included
distracted driving. My friend did not lose her life, but the person
that hit her abused their responsibility to everyone else on the road
by picking up their phone.

A
driver can never be completely safe, but by educating others about
the rules and dangers of the road as well as of the horrendous
effects that distracted driving can produce, we can prepare young
drivers for their journey into a more independent life. Getting a
driver’s license should stay a cause for celebration, and with
proper education and preparation teens can keep that milestone while
helping to maintain their security as a new driver.