Lunch-time

Lunch-time

“Oh
crikey!”

My
fingers wrapped around the grab-handle to my right. I could feel my
pulse quicken; trees passed by as green smudges. It was lunch-time,
45 minutes that allowed the ones who could drive to escape and
purchase something better than our school’s typical bean-n’-cheese
burritos. My 16-year-old friend had just gotten her driver’s license
and my group of friends were excited to hop in to get a taste of
their newfound freedom. I was wary of partaking in this escapade,
remembering the drivers’ safety presentation my school gave last
year that featured the staggering amount (302,526) of teenagers hurt
per year (“CDC: Teen”). I would like to say I got out of that
car, but in reality, I settled myself in tighter for the ride.

How
can we, as a society, have lowered those numbers? Drivers’
education plays a huge role in keeping everyone safe. A study by Ian
Newman and Duane Shell from the University of Nebraska found that
“young drivers who have not completed drivers ed are… 24
percent more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and
16 percent more likely to have an accident”. As
these statistics show, education is integral. However, parents must
lay the foundation and set the example by being safe, sober drivers.
This sets the student up to safely gain experience on the road.
Encouraging the child to ask for a ride from a trusted adult instead
of a peer could also reduce the possibility of an accident. It may be
unbelievable, but ⅔ of teenage passenger deaths are caused when
another adolescent is driving (“Teen Driving”).
Even though drivers’ education is now in effect, is it enough?

Although
improvements have been made by implementing the permit and the
driver’s tests, the current passing rates are far too high. The
lowest passing score is 83 percent for the permit test and students
are allowed to make 14 mistakes on the driving test (“Driving
Tests”).
It is required for students to practice driving for 50 hours but,
surprisingly, it is not enforced. My instructor says practice keeps
me safe, but without an imposition that forces us to practice, how
can the DMV guarantee we actually practiced? As many of my peers have
said, the driving test is ridiculously easy to pass. Some test
administrators do not care. My friend’s administrator told her to
bring him to McDonald’s and he would pass her. With administrators
like these, what is the test worth but a waste of time and risk of
death? Governments must enforce the laws during the students’
learning period to create guidelines that will help the student
develop into a safe driver.

Luckily,
I did not die on my lunch-time adventure but I cannot say the same
for many of the other teenage passengers who lost their lives. Our
society must change today to ensure the safety of our country’s
future leaders.