Why Changing the Culture of Youth Driving Matters

Why Changing the Culture of Youth Driving Matters

Emily Hardy

Georgetown University

July 3, 2020

Word Count: 500

From the photos, I thought Beth had died. I saw them in every group text; there was her white VW Bug…crushed. It’s metal frame had been contorted beyond recognition, the deployed airbags looked like deflated balloons and red-blue lights of a fire truck lit up the intersection. Luckily, it was broken ribs but it had only been a matter of time before Beth got into an accident. She was a distracted driver, one hand on the wheel one on her phone. I vividly remember taking the device from her only to discover that it was not open to navigation but instead social media. From my experience, young drivers are the most susceptible to distracted driving and pose the greatest threat to road safety. But why are young people so dangerous and how do we make our roads safer?

Limited driving experience, a lack of formal education and modern technology produces a toxic combination of unprepared new drivers. A multiple choice test with predictable questions is the only thing standing between a 16 year old and the wheel of a car. Driving is the most dangerous activity I do on a daily basis because negligence or distraction can cause death. Unfortunately, I concede that no multiple choice test can successfully determine if an individual has the maturity level to be entrusted with driving responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean we can simply hope kids are ready for the road.

Simply put, we need to change drivers ed. We teach students about everything in the classroom, from calculus to artist creation. If society has determined that the most effective way to deliver content to the next generation is in a classroom, why don’t we mandate teaching for something as dangerous as driving? Education should be a government requirement before receiving any kind of license. Intensive schooling has been adopted in Germany with the central belief that better drivers on the road means fewer collisions. When comparing the philosophy of North American driving education to Germany, there are significant irregularities. Most notably, there are alarmingly fewer rates of collision in Germany than in both the U.S. and Canada, whilst the country has a highway (the autobahn) with areas of non-restricted speeds.¹ Drivers under the age of 20 make up the largest percentage of distracted drivers, so why haven’t we taken the initiative to properly educate them on road safety?²

Beth didn’t die in that accident but she easily could have. I firmly believe that if young people are required to participate in drivers ed and undergo significant training our roads will be safer. Indeed, it is an investment but drivers ed needs to be preventative. The impacts of improved teaching will be wide-reaching, ultimately creating safer crosswalks, reducing total accidents, and lowering preventable deaths. One life lost to reckless driving is too many and if we want to get serious about improving road safety it starts with the next generation of young drivers.