While teens are having fun, they must not forget that certain common sense safeguards still apply. Teen drivers already have a high accident rate, and it could get even worse when they’re all abuzz about summer activities and forget to take driving seriously. The fact is, teens can be injured or killed — or injure or kill someone else – in a split second while driving. And that single second with a single mistake could be all because they engaged in something that almost always could wait: phoning, texting, eating and taking eyes and attention off the road around them.
If anything, driving deserves a teen’s complete attention. Imagine how bad it can be when a teen fixates on a cell phone, placing calls or even sending text messages instead of glancing in the rear-view mirror before changing lanes. Teens also should be especially wary of fatigue. It’s a major factor in many auto accidents. Teens need more sleep than adults. If teens drive when they are sleepy, it could be fatal.
Teens are also known to disregard seatbelts far more than adults. Speeding teens who drink and get behind the wheel also contribute to accidents. In fact, automobile accidents are the No. 1 killer of teens in America. But it doesn’t have to be that way – not with the right attitude. It may not seem cool, but what’s cool about being injured or killed? The bottom line: Driving is an enormous responsibility, not just an annoyance to be tolerated while having fun multi-tasking. Sometimes, the best way to have fun is to wait and have it at the proper time.
I agree that teens can be distracted while driving and it is a dangerous problem for us all. I own a driving school in California and complete attention is sought on the first lesson. Here in California a teen who has a learners permit cannot drive unless he is in the company of a licensed driver 25 years or older. Once he receives his driver’s license he cannot drive with anyone under the age of 21 for one year. This law is trying to address the distraction problem. In 2008 California passed a law making it illegal to use a cell phone while driving, later amended to include text messaging. Driving schools account for 6 hours of lessons in 2 hour increments and parents are required to spend 50 hours of behind the wheel instruction ten hours of which must be night driving. Now teens being what they are (we’ve all been there) they may or may not accept the fine lessons we give them. Parents and driving schools have to remember these young people should be taught not just driving but surviving as well.
So instead of just talking about the rotten driving habits teens possess we should remember our responsibility as adults and help keep the roads safe for everyone
Comment by Diana FitzPatrick — December 26, 2008 @ 10:24 pm
Have you tried a Trackstick?
Comment by GPS Guru — October 11, 2009 @ 4:20 am