Teen drivers: Are they ready?
Posted: Sunday, September 25, 2005
by smartfindsmarketing
SmartFinds Internet Marketing
In the United States of America, the accident rate per mile for drivers in the 16-19 age group is
Let's look at more figures. More than 20% of all traffic deaths occurred when a teenager was driving the car, and more than 60% of teenage passenger deaths occurred when another teenager was driving the car.
So the question remains: Are teen drivers ready?
Simply put, the answer is no.
A driver's perception of his driving skills greatly affects how they behave on the road. Think about it. This rule applies all the time. Take skateboarding for example. Compare an amateur against a professional. Obviously the professional will participate in more stunts than the amateur, and the likelihood of an accident would be higher in the latter.
And this may not be their fault. A recent series of studies reported some very interesting findings. Teens may not be able to help it when they take risks. It’s how their brains are wired.
Scientists have found that the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior does not fully form until the person is 25-years-old. That means that a 16-year-old driver is seriously not ready to perceive the risks of driving a car. And they really cannot help it. No amount of teaching, training and practicing can help them.
This is especially true when the teen is around his friends. When he drives alone, he most likely would not take any significant risks, but around friends, he ran more traffic lights.
Well, what then, can be done?
There are a few options:
1. Limit the number of passengers in a teen’s car.
It can be made a law to prevent the number of passengers in a teen’s car from going above a certain limit. As the study has shown, more friends in the car lead to more risk-taking, and thus more accidents. The inverse accordingly is true.
2. Ban cell-phone usage in a car.
A test was once conducted like this. There were two groups of people who had to press a button when a light flashed in front of them. The only difference is that in the first group, there were no distractions while in the second, they were allowed to chat with a friend on a cell-phone. Those using the cell phones were more likely to not notice the flash than those who had nothing to distract them.
3. Raise the driving age to 18.
Legislators have begun to consider raising the legal driving age to 18, and this will be a very good move. Many countries around the world have a much higher legal driving age than the United States, and the percentage of casualties in countries with a similar road safety standard as the United States are definitely lower.
All three options are definitely effective, though, they may face much opposition. Firstly, Teenagers want to drive a car. A car is a status of freedom and independence. Secondly, it would be difficult to enforce such rules like banning cell-phone usage or limiting the number of passengers in a teen’s car. However, the advantages of enforcing these three options undeniably outweigh the disadvantages.
Melih Oztalay, CEO
Auto Safety Magnets
www.autosafetymagnets.com
This Article has been viewed 4,131 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
More commentswell ya the older people are going to be driving a lot more better then the teens because they have had a lot more experience and it doesn't change if you change the driving law to age 18 they are still going to be new drivers out there, there is nothing you can do about it so you mine as well just leave it at age 16
I am 15 and I think the driving age should be 18 not 16. The 18 year olds may still be "new drivers," but at least their brain will be better developed.
I have to say that driving in a vehicle is hazardous- NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE. Teenagers get very little freedom, so just let us keep this small bit of freedom- driving is independence for us. Changing the driving age after it has been set in stone for so long is ridiculous and unjust. Just tell me, if you were still that "bubbleheaded" teenager that you believe everyone is, then how would you feel if some group of adults decided that the driving age was going to change- what if you were 15 and they just decided: The driving age is going to be changed to 18, 16 was just too young? Brains aren't important, but maturity is. We're all stupid- don't tell me YOU were perfect as a teenager. There is a chance that a mistake will be made, but not EVERY teenager is going to make that mistake behind the wheel of a vehicle. Lowering the driving age isn't the answer either- it's much more hazardous. At the age of fourteen- for which I am currently at- most everyone can't think straight and changes begin to occur. These changes practically leave us all in weird moods, and driving at such times is not safe. You may think you are ready to drive at thirteen or fourteen, but the truth is: You are far from ready. Face it, we all are. Adults actually aren't driving BETTER than us- I've seen my share of adult drivers that cut my parents off. Since adults have had a longer chance to drive, they earn habits- most of which are bad. With some of the habits that adults have, they tend to forget the right or wrong way to drive and choose to just drive with their minds shut off from the world. EVERYONE needs to wake-up when you're driving. Most accidents are caused because the person or people that cause the accident only focus on themselves. My parents continuously tell me, "When you drive, you don't just drive for yourself. You drive for EVERYBODY." If we heed that small amount of advice, then maybe a thousand less accidents will occur, so just leave well enough alone. Accidents are not caused by one group of people, rather than that, they are caused by every race, age, etc. Heed this fourteen year olds advice: Wake-up and drive or get off the road. Pay attention to the world around you or you'll find yourself in on the side of the road injured by your mistake. Thank you, A concerned student
Personally I believe that teen drivers are ready. I am 13 years old myself and I believe that I am already responsible enough to drive. And just keep in mind that an accident is not just one person's fault, there has to be two people to make up an accident. So what if only one is a teenager? That doesn't mean that the rest of us young teens aren't ready to drive. Adults who already have their license and have been driving for years say we should higher the driving age. I bet when they were our age the statistics were the same! And they would be in our shoes fighting for what they think is right. Sure more teens are in accidents more than adults, but if they raised the age we would still be inexperienced drivers getting in accidents no matter how old they raised the age too!
We're ready, stupid. You just never give us the chance to prove it.
Joe !!
Thank You Evan of Illinois For understanding
PS you are my Hero!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)
in my family, so many kids are going so many places with so much stuff that my two parents cant handle it. if i had to wait to 18 to drive, my parents might just have a nervous breakdown and then where would we be? any way even if the driving age was like 35, there would still be new drivers and still accidents. there would still be death and people making mistakes on the road. people would still die in car crashes. i being rather smart and having skipped a grade, i will be graduating early and starting college at 18. if i had to take drivers ed classes in my first semester of college, i would probably not be able to succeed. just my thoughts.
Let me say this. If you raise the driving age to 18 because "some" teenagers are in accidents, then just say that you are raising the drinking age because "some" people get behind the car to drive. There are some drinkers who don't drive and just stay home that night or have somebody else drive them. You can't punish ALL the people who want to drink at 21 because of "some" people who make bad decisions. Not "all" teenagers are bad drivers. If they raise the driving age to 18 it is punishing EVERY teenager not just the ones that are really causing the accidents. They don't need to raise the driving age, they just need to enroll teens in drivers education classes a little earlier and make it cheeper so all teens can take drivers ed. Teens need more time in the classroom and WAY more time in the car with the instructer. That I feel is a great solution to this problem. Don't punish all the teens for mistakes of others, just put them in drivers ed classes earlier, longer, and at a low price
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