Smart Technology Smart Drivers

When adolescents are released on the road, it’s the genesis of adulthood for many children and their treatment by their parents. Children launch themselves into a new frontier of freedom on the road. Many have felt constricted by their parents’ strict rules, so the freedom on the road is a refresher. I know personally that whenever I was given the opportunity to make my own decisions and dive into driving on the road all by myself I was very happy. Many of my friends felt the same way. Yet, According to the CDC, auto accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States ( CDC 1). It’s apparent that in many driving situations, children on the road are at a much higher risk than any other age group on the road. Older people do have a higher tendency to also get in car accidents, but they also have less reaction time and are more susceptible to notable harm from a crash. Car crashes in general are something to be avoided though, because even small auto accidents that don’t result in a large amount of car damage most times result in the obtaining of whiplash or similar back problems. While adolescents’ brains aren’t fully developed, they do have more athletic ability and reaction time than the elderly especially. According to a small study done in Canada by Census in School, reaction time seems to be at its best when anyone is between fifteen and eighteen (Average Reaction Time, by Age and Dominant Hand 1). While this is a small study, it is easy to see that the people with the most reaction time are usually younger, and the older you get, the less amount of response time you have. It doesn’t take much to look into your own life and see that this is true. Yet, car related crashes seem to only be a problem of consideration for young drivers with the exception of people over the age of 65. Driving is the main means of transportation in the current state of the country, and still, is constantly polluted by the rising rate of owning a cell phone. We’ve all seen it in our lives. When driving in my own life, the rate at which I see someone on their phone while driving is astounding. While practices like texting and driving are looked down upon in our current culture, people still call and drive and adjust their phone or car’s features while behind the wheel. This, of course, is due to the rise in smart cars, which promote traits like blind spot detection and even lane correction yet fail to keep drivers from distracting them from the road for their own comfort from the driver’s seat. While it is nice to have these features, the safety of the driver is of utmost importance. Taking steps like calibrating the temperature and music levels of your car before your drive starts greatly enhances your ability to stay focused on the road. I personally have seen great improvement in my ability to pay attention on the road because of these steps. The world around me, whether it be my family or friends, is always on their phone or even doing the smaller violation of adjusting their car settings while driving. I myself have even been guilty of these things. In a world filled with newest technology and a fast paced culture, it can be difficult for children and all drivers to put all their energy towards one thing at a time. But, it’s important to recognize that most of the things that we pay attention to instead of the road are simply wants and not needs. The temperature of your car should not outweigh the security of your life. But we seem to live in a society that values comfortability instead of what is needed. These numbers from the CDC frighten us all. It’s not just a matter of safety for adolescents, but also safety for the other people sharing the road with soon to be adults. So, taking these steps can help not only for the safety of teenagers, but all people who interact with roads on an almost daily basis.

Works Cited

CDC. “Teen Drivers and Passengers: Get the Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 Nov. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html.

“Average Reaction Time, by Age and Dominant Hand.” Census at School Canada, 2008, https://censusatschool.ca/data-results/2007-08/average-reaction-time/.