Teen Driving Awareness

Every pre-teen dreams about the day they can finally start driving by themselves. The day they wouldn’t have to wait for their parents to pick them up from school or take them to the birthday party they knew about all week. I was an eager teen and got my permit once I turned 15 and my license on my 16th birthday. However, part of me wishes I would have waited. Driving is no easy task, and you must always be aware of your surroundings. Being a 16-year-old on the road with minimal driving experience probably wasn’t the best idea. As an avid Mario Kart winner, I thought I had it in the bag. It was most certainly easier said than done. 

Just in Florida, 60,000 teens were involved in car crashes. Annually, 7.8% of fatal crashes deal with 15 to 20-year-olds. That makes driving the second-leading cause of death for this age group. Driver education should be emphasized for all people, but especially for teens who are just starting on the road. Some causes of teen collisions are distracted driving, speeding, and drunk driving. 

Teenagers love to multitask and do other things while driving, such as using the phone (the biggest one), eating, drinking, putting on makeup, etc. No matter how good you think you are at multitasking, all it takes is a split second for your eyes to get off the road for a crash to happen. Texting can wait, eating can wait, and putting on makeup can wait. Anything can wait if it’s going to cost your life. Texting while driving is so common that most states have laws preventing it. 94% of teens recognize the dangers of texting and driving, yet still, 38% reported doing it. This is because the dangers of doing this are not enforced enough for teens.

Another thing teenagers love to do is show off. That may mean showing everyone how fast their car can drive, or it may even be for the adrenaline rush, but almost 50% of fatal teen crashes have been related to speeding. It’s not worth racing the car next to you. Lastly, drunk driving is more common among teens than any other age group. As teens aren’t supposed to drink, their bodies handle alcohol poorly. 15% of fatal teen crashes involved alcohol usage. Understanding the consequences of careless driving is significant, and parents should talk to their teens about it before they get on the road. However, a single conversation may not be enough to prevent these statistics. To reduce these numbers, there should be stricter enforcement put in place, a required driver education course in schools, and greater access to public transportation. 

Florida already has a curfew set in place for 16 and 17-year-old drivers, but as I was a teen driver myself, a 16-year-old should not be driving by themselves at 11 pm. If the curfew was moved to sunset for 16-year-olds and 11 pm instead of 1 am for 17-year-olds, then there would be much less room for distracted night driving. Driving at night is risky enough for all drivers due to it being hard to see and tiredness. Every state has its own teen driving laws. These laws should be consistent nationwide. Driving the speed limit should also be enforced more. From my experience, only certain areas contain state troopers and law enforcement officers. It should be consistent everywhere. There should also be more speed enforcement on highways as many cars are going 60+ mph, and highways are a high-crash zone. In addition, there should be a required driver education course in high schools, ensuring every teenager understands what it takes to be a cautious driver on the road and the consequences if you are not. Also, the course should require several hours to practice driving before getting your license. Teens should not have to rely on their Mario Kart skills. Lastly, better public transportation would be the best solution to this problem as teens wouldn’t have to drive at all. Public transportation has various benefits outside of limiting collisions, such as easing traffic and creating a cleaner environment. America isn’t known for its public transportation as it can be unreliable and inaccessible, but with better funding and urban planning, it can be the next step in declining the statistics. 

My experience with driving got better over time, and I eventually got the hang of it. I could even go on longer drives out of the city, however, to my surprise, I got in a car accident only five minutes away from home. The day it happened, I was annoyed as I had to wake up early to drive my sister to work and wasn’t very attentive as I was driving. I was distracted by my surroundings and ran through a stop sign that was painted on the road. The simple fender bender made me rethink everything. How could I make such a simple mistake after driving for two years? Am I a careless driver? Although one mistake doesn’t define a person, I recognized that I was driving irresponsibly, and it changed my whole approach while driving. I lost my car for two months after that due to internal damage. Once I got my car back again, I drove like a snail for months. My family even called me out on it. It took time to get comfortable on the road again, but now I don’t take driving for granted like I used to. I started always wearing a seatbelt, using all mirrors, and making a complete stop at every stop sign. I make sure to keep my vehicle regularly maintained and consistently check my brakes, oil, and tire pressure. I also have a no-phone rule in my car. It can wait. The best way to help others stay safe on the road is to encourage driver education courses, not only for teens but adults as well. They might learn something new. This approach takes less time than establishing better public transportation, although that would be the best scenario. Driver education also shines awareness on what can happen if you are a reckless driver. Requiring this not just once, but every few years would be the best way for teen drivers and ultimately all drivers to reduce the number of crashes every year. 

 

Citations:

Teen Driving Fatalities:

Coleman, Sara. “Teen Driving Facts and Statistics 2022.” Bankrate, 23 May 2022, www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/teen-driver-facts-and-statistics/#causes.