Imagine yourself as a sixteen year-old. You just got your driver's license, and you and a few friends are going to celebrate. However, at ten o'clock, you don’t pay attention to the road, and you crash into another vehicle. Two of your friends die on scene, and your other friend is severely injured. For thousands of teens each year, this is a reality. Teens ages 16-19 are more likely to get into a car crash than any other age that drive including seniors.
In 2015, 2,333 teens in the U.S. alone were killed and 221,313 teens were sent to emergency departments for motor accidents in 20141. This means that around six teens died each day1. There are many causes to teen related vehicular accidents. One of those causes is alcohol. Alcohol is a dangerous substance that should not be used before drinking at any age. In 2015, 379 drivers were killed and 56 of those teens had a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of over 0.08% which is the maximum amount to be allowed to drive. That’s 15% of teens who drove and were killed. In 2014, teens between the ages of 15 and 20 years who were involved in fatal vehicular crashes, 24% had been drinking 1. Of those 24% who were drinking, 17% had a BAC level of over 0.08%. Another cause of death or fatal injury in the teens age section is the use of cell phones. This one is a well known fact to everyone, “ Don’t text and drive”. For many teens and adults, a smartphone is a main part of their lives and they constantly are checking it. Therefore, there can’t be anything good that comes out of driving and using it. When someone is texting and driving at the same time, it causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road. According to a AAA poll, around 94% of teen drivers understand the risks of texting and driving but 35% have admitted to doing it regardless of the consequences 2. About 21% of teen drivers that are involved with fatal accidents were distracted by their use of cell phones 2. In 2013, 10% of all drivers ages 15 to 19 that were involved in life-threatening accidents were reported to be distracted at the time of the crash2. Some people may argue that raising the driving age could cause problems.
Some people may say that allowing teens drive at the age of 16 would
“The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16 to 19 year olds than among any other age group.” (Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet 1) “The presence of teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. The risk increases with the number of teen passengers.” (Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet 1) In the United States motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause death in teens. “In 2010, seven teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries.” (Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet 2) This alarming number of casualties could be prevented by educating our teenage drivers prior to them being on their own and operating a couple ton weighing
Putting teens on the road at a young age as low as 15-16-years-old allows them to gain experience that will help them become more accustomed to the road when they get their driving licences at 18. As stated in the article, Teenage Driving Laws May Just Delay Deadly Crashes, it says “Many teenagers, rather than deal with the extra restrictions for 16-17 -year-olds, are simply waiting until they turn 18, and skipping the restrictions altogether. As a result, a greater proportion of inexperienced drivers hit the road” (40). This proves that teens who do not drive at 16 are more likely to get into car crashes, because they wait til 18 to avoid being restricted like the 16- 17- year-olds. Teens who skip the 16 -17-year-old restrictions are just starving themselves from gaining the early knowledge on driving that is needed to prevent fatal crashes. The same article also says that, “There have been 1,348 fewer deadly crashes involving 16-year-old
Teen driving allows American youth to have their license between the ages 13-15. At this age, our American youth are more likely to be careless while driving without supervision. The younger teen drivers are the more susceptible to fatal car accidents they will be due to the lack of supervision and proper driver’s education. Lack of maturity and experiences leads to developing poor driving habits. The teens in the age group 16-18 are usually more mature in handling a motorized vehicle. States that allow 13-15 year old teens drive are more likely to get in more car crashes from driving earlier and not having enough experience.
Many teens, so-called “younger generation”, seem too connected to their phones and have begun to text and drive. According to Sherry Turkle, “Roman, eighteen, admits that he texts while driving and he is not going to stop. ‘I know I should, but it is not going to happen. If I get a Facebook message or something posted on my wall, I have to see it. I have to” (Turkle 429). Even though teens know that they are doing something wrong, they still do it because they think nothing will happen. Just because we have not experienced accidents, does not mean it will not happen. Just think of all the people who have said the same thing. They think accidents are a world away from their own reality. No one seems to think about what can happen to other people as well as themselves. Everyone should think of others because just a little glance on your
All 50 states prohibit 16-year-olds from drinking alcohol, buying cigarettes, and purchasing handguns. Yet somehow, most states are willing to put them in charge of a car. Teens don’t realize how dangerous driving can be; they believe nothing could ever happen to them. In reality, facts show that driving is the number one killer of teens. At 16 or 17, you may feel invincible, but with a lack of driving experience and distractions such as cell phones, music, food, and even friends, driving can be a dangerous activity. The problem is that teens don’t see certain actions as a life threatening risk. In a recent study, only 28 percent said using a cell phone is a risk while driving, ten percent said the same about having other teens in the car,
Simply putting down your phone and paying attention to the road is a decision that not only could save the life of a driver but could save a whole family and community a whole lot of hurt. At any given time during the day approximately 800,000 people across the United States are on their phone while driving, which explains why texting is the number one distraction for teens across the country (Don’t Text and Drive-Volunteer Society of America). However, we can change this. Educating teens about the true risks of texting and driving just might save a life. Any text can
Many people have lost their lives on the road and caused other’s deaths because they were distracted with doing something while driving. In 2012, 3,328 people were killed in distraction-related crashes (“Statistics on Texting & Cell Phone Use While Driving” n.d.). Distractions while driving that result in these accidents include texting/making a call or becoming intoxicated and having high blood alcohol concentration. Many laws have been brought forth to help regulate the amount of people drinking while driving and using a cell phone while driving. Not only do people put their own lives in danger, they are also putting other’s lives in danger. People who take part in these distractions are not being responsible when making these rash decisions while driving and creating a hazardous environment for those around them.
In 2013, more than 2,500 teenagers died in the United States from motor vehicle crash injuries. Such injuries are by far the leading public health problem for young people 13-19 years old (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety [IIHS], 2014). Drivers are not the only ones at risk. Teenagers who are passengers in others vehicles make up a startling 87% of the fatality statistic. Lack of driving experience, disregard for traffic laws, and quick access to full driving privileges contribute to teen death. To reduce teen driving fatalities, successful completion of driver education classes provided by public and private schools should be mandatory for all teenagers prior to receiving their driving permit.
Plenty of people are losing their daughters, sons, or other family members because of either distracted driving or drinking and driving. Both are a big issue. Not only are people getting hurt, but parents also suffer when their children get into an accident. People do not think about the people they are hurting because of their actions. People need to take care and drive safely each time they are behind the wheel. Five seconds is the average time someone’s eyes are off the road while they are texting (“Facts and Statistics”). The majority of teens respond to a text message at least once or more every time they drive. Teens have the tendency of responding to a text message when they are driving or even when they are on their social media. Cell phone use while driving might be as or more dangerous than driving under the influence of
As cell phones become more popular, texting while driving is becoming the most widely known cause for car accidents among teens. The alarming rate of incidents where texting is involved is getting more parents worried and warning their children about the danger of texting while driving. Parents are urging the fact that drivers should pay attention to the road and traffic, not their phones. A popular study of 18 to 24 year old drivers showed that 66 percent of them have texted while driving. Since texting while driving is becoming more popular many states are passing a law to ban the use of any cell phone device while in a vehicle. Texting while driving is an important issue that is causing many deaths and those who cause these deaths and
On July 2017, a Minnesota teen driver ran a red stop light ending the life of a father and his 10 year old daughter all because she was texting behind the wheel. Unfortunately, stories like this are happening way too often all over the country making motor vehicle crashes the leading cause of death for teens in the US. These situations have sparked the debate of whether or not the legal driving age should be raised. As a teenager, driving can seem like the most important part of your life. Growing up is hard enough, and as teenagers lead busy lives packed with sports, volunteer work, paid jobs and hobbies, driving can seem like a way of improving their everyday life. However, with teen driving comes the horrors of reality. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2015, “2,333 teens were killed and 221,313 were treated in emergency departments due to injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes.” Many people argue that these crashes are the cause of teens immaturity, inexperience, poor judgment, and the lack of the brains full development. Many government websites including “Kids Live Safe Organization” and “Department of Motor Vehicles” have taken the steps to tackle this problem by urging parents to talk to their children about how to be safe on the road. These websites have accomplished the job of informing parents of the dangers of irresponsible driving however the deaths continue to rise. There is no doubt that something has to change before more
Last night, just one day before my second son’s seventeenth birthday and merely two days after empowering him with the privilege of a driver’s license, this parent’s worst nightmare nearly became a reality for my family. Nearly six years prior, our oldest son at the same age of seventeen, miraculously missed a brush with death created by a similar reckless accident. Both events triggered by their own careless driving. Reflecting back on these events provokes question on whether the legal driving age of sixteen is reasonably appropriate. Recent statistics from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention show that in 2013, two thousand one hundred and sixty three teenagers in the United States between the ages of sixteen and nineteen were killed in vehicle crashes.1 Within these same statistics, over two hundred forty three thousand teenagers were treated in emergency rooms suffering injuries from motor vehicle crashes.1 Legislation should be put in place to reduce these risks of unnecessary fatalities. The legal age of driving should be increased to the minimum age of eighteen in the United States to help reduce these
Teen driving is unsafe and dangerous, teen driving is the leading cause of teenage deaths in the United States with more than 5,000 teens dying a year. 17 year old Weston Griggs, killed himself and the 2 passengers he had in his car. But, this accident was no accident. Weston was going 70 mph in a 40 mph speed zone. The issue in this story is that young drivers like Weston, inexperienced and full of adrenaline are just hurting them selves and others by getting behind the wheel at such a young age. Teens between the ages 15 through 17 do not belong on the road. Outrageous amounts of teens are dying every year and these numbers are not changing, so why keep them on the road? Teen driving in the United States have three main problems
Many parents of teens worry about the fact that auto accidents are the number 1 cause of death among teenagers exceeding homicide, suicide and cancer combined. These statics can be alarming and the main reason why some parents argue that teens shouldn't drive. Many articles and studies show teens pick up parents bad habits from watching them drive over the years and this can possibly effect how they handle certain situations on the road. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), teenage drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a car crash than adult drivers. Traffic crashes are the #1 cause of death and injury for people ages 16-20, with more than 5,600 teens dying in motor vehicle collisions each year. Problems
Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens and young adults. More than 5,000 young people die every year in car crashes and thousands more are injured. Drivers who are 16 years old are more than 20 times as likely to have a crash, as are other drivers. There are two main reasons why teens are at a higher for being in a car crash and lack of driving experience and their tendency to take risks while driving. Teens drive faster and do not control the car as well as more experienced drivers. Their judgment in traffic is often insufficient to avoid a crash. In addition, teens do most of their driving at night, which can be even more difficult. Standard driver's education classes include 30 hours of classroom teaching and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training. This is not enough time to fully train a new driver. Teen drivers are more like to be influence by peers and other stresses and distractions. This can lead to reckless driving behaviors such as speeding, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and not wearing safety belts. There is no safe amount that you can drink and still drive. Even one drink can influence your driving offences. “Nowadays, drunk driving has become driving while intoxicated, driving while impaired, driving while under the influence, operating while under the influence (impaired, intoxicated, or whatever), and in many