In the Driver’s seat

In the Drivers seat

Samuel Hawksworth

Driving is a privilege and with it brings great responsibility when sitting ‘in the drivers seat’. A car can be considered a lethal weapon if handled recklessly and drivers ed is the important first step to being safe on the road.

Getting a drivers‘ license is a rite of passage for many teens, and it provides new freedom so it is sad to see it be the root of the crisis we are seeing today. Unbelievably, more Americans died between 2005 and 2012 in highway fatalities than in the Civil war – a senseless loss of more than 200,000 lives.

What is most perplexing about this crisis, is that the group most affected, the highest number of fatalities, are the ones most recently educated on driving (16-18 year olds).

This encourages us to consider what education supports safe driving.

A study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln compared teen drivers who had taken professional programs with instructors to those who had done their practice hours with a parent or guardian. The study showed that the group who took drivers ed, had significantly fewer accidents and traffic tickets than the group who logged driving hours without formal driving instruction. (Leslie Reed, University of Nebraska-Lincoln). The study supports the importance of drivers ed to lessen the chance of a serious accident with the financial incentive of reduced tickets. A drivers ed course sets a new driver up for success by teaching state traffic laws and skills imperative to safely operating the car – things that may not be taught by a parent.

Another culprit for endangering the roads is drunk driving. According to courtinfo.ca.gov 40% of fatal accidents are caused by alcohol. I personally witnessed the pain and tragedy drunk driving can cause when a close friends sister was a passenger in a car on the way home from a party. The driver, apparently under the influence, lost control of the car and everyone was killed. There is never a reason to mix alcohol and driving. This is why driving is a privilege and the right to drive should be taken away when acting irresponsibly.

I also feel young teens feel invincible when they first get behind the wheel. They are excited with new found freedom but there are many risk factors. Inexperience, wanting to impress their peer passengers, easily distracted by cell phones to name a few. I also experienced seeing my sister in a serious accident due to driving complex roads with little experience.

There are 75% less teen accidents when an adult is in the car. A solution may be for an adult to be present for the first 6 months after passing a test to increase road awareness and confidence in new situations.

Taking responsibility for ones actions both as a driver and a passenger is so important. Take the drivers ed, practice driving locally initially and with an adult and NEVER drive under the influence.

Stay Safe.