Essay Sample on Teen Driver Safety

Young teen generally experience the thrilling thoughts of turning sixteen, in this year, they start a vital epoch in their lives. They are finally taken more seriously, gain more freedom, and they have more responsibilities. Getting drivers license has a major part in the excitement of turning sixteen, this gives them the right to finally start driving on their own and be independent. Although this is very exciting, it can also be very dangerous. It is inarguable that one of the biggest factor of causing death is car accidents, and that distracted driving plays a big part in causing those crashes. Limiting those appalling distractions, like cell phones and passengers interactions, will have the most impact on teen driving safety. If only there were not these distractions, so many lives could be saved.

To begin, many young teens seek independence and self-reliance. In the United States, most young teens, typically, 16 year olds, finally get their drivers license. This gives them the legal right to drive on their own without many limitations. To be sure, with great responsibility, also comes a great risk, when getting ready to drive, young teens usually underestimate the risks of going on the road. Furthermore, studies have found that distraction are one of the biggest factor that causes car accidents among young teens. According to the article 'Distracted Driving', The AAA Foundation carried a study to see if distracted driving was a big factor in car accidents, some of their finding include that "By category, driver distraction was a factor in 89 percent of all road departure crashes... and in 76 percent of all rear end crashes." (Source 2, paragraph 6) Those findings are horrifying, but they are very important. They show that statistics really did underestimate the risk of distracted driving, and that distracted driving is a leading cause of deaths on the road. For example, cell phones are a type of distraction that is responsible for many  of teen distractions and eventually teen deaths. According to the text, "interacting with passengers and cell phone use accounted for almost half of all distracted driving crashes among those studied." (Source 2, paragraph 7). This supports the idea that cell phones, which distract people from paying attention to their surrondings, can cause people to loss attention, even for a split second, and can cause death.

With this in mind, distractions are always going to be around, and many people are greatly concert about this fact. Truthfully, It is scary to think that someones life can end in a split second just because of looking away for a split second on an outside distraction. According to the mom of Jennifer, a 16 year old teen from Georgia "'I am afraid that other passengers, especially her friends or a crying toddler, would greatly distract her.'" (Source 3, paragraph 13) This exemplifies the great worry of teens parents about the distractions that their kids would be facing, it shows terrifying thoughts that parents will have to face everyday knowing that their children could be facing a nodus.  Nevertheless, there are still ways teens can exploit to limit their distractions from the outside world. Parent-Teen Driving Agreements could help in preventing those death-causing distractions. For instance, Source Two includes examples of some of the agreements , "I will not use a cell phone or any other electronic device while driving" and "I will engage in no thrill-seeking behavior while driving (driving too fast, racing of all kinds, or any kind of stunt)." (Source 2, paragraph 9) Those  examples are just some of the agreement that the CDC, the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, counsel that teens should follow. By using these agreements, teens will feel more set and safe when driving, and parents will be less worried of their child on the road.

Many people suppose that graduated driving licensing program alone is better on impacting young teens safety on the road, some have said that those programs give teens a preparation for what they will soon be facing. According to the 'AAA Foundation, IIHS/HLDI [Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/Highway Loss Data Institute])', "In 1995 (before the programs were universal), 2,667 drivers aged 16-17 were involved in fatal accidents. In 2010, this number plunged to 1,150. By 2014, it plummeted to 801" (Source 1, paragraph 4) Although this is true, there are still some doubts: are those results really do to the new programs that became availaibe, if people even used them? Are those results do to expanded knowledge of teens about the dangers of the road? maybe they happend because of safer, improved cars? or possibly raised awarness among people?  Shown in the next paragraph, "Researchers profoundly question the shift in accident rates and concede that further studies must be conducted." (Source 1, Paragraph 5) As researchers investigate whether those programs truly have an impact on improving teens safety, one thing is sure: limiting distraction would be the best way to ensure young teens safety. "The AAA Foundation conducted a study of their own, fearing that distracted driving was a greater issue than national driving statistics indicate" Their results were horrifying but not surprising, distraction was a major factor in causing many of the car crashes among young teens. Thus,limiting distractions from the driver had the greatest impact on ensuring their safety.

In the end, trying to limit car crashes is not going to be easy, distractions are all around, especially in today's world of ongoing social media. A tweet there, a ring here, and a giggle there, there is no denying, distractions are hard to ignore. Consequently, limiting distracted driving behaviors, like cell phones, notifications, and excessive passenger interactions, will have the greatest impact on making sure young teens can drive safely, with less worry from their parents. By focusing on the road instead of distractions, the rate of car crashes will certainly drop extremely, especially among teens. To be sure, teens will need to make sure they are willing to put their phones on silent, set them aside, and only drive with responsible passengers. In the end, it is up to teens to keep themselves safe and set examples for future generations.