Teen Drivers
A September 2006 article from Autoweek magazine opens with an alarming comparison: "Since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, 2,600 American troops have been killed in combat and war-related incidents. The count is well-known and updated regularly in news reports. Did you know during the same 41-month period, more that 22,000 teenagers, ages 15-19, died in traffic accidents on U.S. roads?"
Colorado recently adopted new laws concerning teenage drivers. Are they fair? Are they necessary? Do they hinder necessary transportation of young people? What effect do these and other such laws have on the environment--and should that be a concern? How should the government deal with the rising number of driving-related deaths among teens? How have the rules affected you, your friends, your family?
Some links (there are many more for you to research):
*Please note that the blogger software does not allow me the ability to underline or indent properly, so portions of the MLA works cited entries will not be in the correct format. However, the citations are correct and you should use them.
Colorado Department of Transportation "The Driver's Seat" page with the new laws and more
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
Citation = ("The Driver's")
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet." cdc.org. 18 July 2008. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Unintentional Injury. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm >.
Citation = ("Teen Drivers")
The Autoweek article mentioned above is attached at the bottom of the AP Language Website.
In it there are several enlightening articles--please cite the correct article you reference:
Wilson, Kevin A. "Back to School: Teenage Driving." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 18-22.
Citation = (Wilson #)
Bedway, Marquita. "Rx for Safer Teen Drivers." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 23-5.
Citation = (Bedway #)
Gritzinger, Bob. "Driver Ed vs. Driver's Edge." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 26-7.
Citation =(Gritzinger #)
"What's the Right Car?" Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 28.
Citation =("What's" #)
"Can I Get a Break Here? Insurance for Teen Drivers." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 29.
Citation =("Can I" #)
Edsall, Larry. "Automakers' Learning Opportunities for Teens: Training that Goes Beyond the Norm." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 30-1.
Citation =(Edsall #)
Adams, Eric. "Spy Kids: How to Keep an Eye on Your Teen Driver." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 32-3.
Citation =(Adams #)
Colorado recently adopted new laws concerning teenage drivers. Are they fair? Are they necessary? Do they hinder necessary transportation of young people? What effect do these and other such laws have on the environment--and should that be a concern? How should the government deal with the rising number of driving-related deaths among teens? How have the rules affected you, your friends, your family?
Some links (there are many more for you to research):
*Please note that the blogger software does not allow me the ability to underline or indent properly, so portions of the MLA works cited entries will not be in the correct format. However, the citations are correct and you should use them.
Colorado Department of Transportation "The Driver's Seat" page with the new laws and more
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
Citation = ("The Driver's")
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet." cdc.org. 18 July 2008. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Unintentional Injury. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm >.
Citation = ("Teen Drivers")
The Autoweek article mentioned above is attached at the bottom of the AP Language Website.
In it there are several enlightening articles--please cite the correct article you reference:
Wilson, Kevin A. "Back to School: Teenage Driving." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 18-22.
Citation = (Wilson #)
Bedway, Marquita. "Rx for Safer Teen Drivers." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 23-5.
Citation = (Bedway #)
Gritzinger, Bob. "Driver Ed vs. Driver's Edge." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 26-7.
Citation =(Gritzinger #)
"What's the Right Car?" Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 28.
Citation =("What's" #)
"Can I Get a Break Here? Insurance for Teen Drivers." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 29.
Citation =("Can I" #)
Edsall, Larry. "Automakers' Learning Opportunities for Teens: Training that Goes Beyond the Norm." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 30-1.
Citation =(Edsall #)
Adams, Eric. "Spy Kids: How to Keep an Eye on Your Teen Driver." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 32-3.
Citation =(Adams #)
posted by Mr. Webb | Monday, September 08, 2008
67 Comments:
“America watches many more young people die in traffic accidents than it does in military service, and yet there is very little politic and public activity related to stemming these deaths” (Wilson 19). Notice how the responsibility is shifted onto “America”? That’s a net of blame cast wide. Who does America entail? The government? Certainly it is the job of the legislative branch to make laws to ensure peace and safety, but how far can the government go? Driving isn’t a social evil or an illegal activity, nor can anything be done about preventing stupid or reckless behavior on the road with laws; it can much more easily be punished.
Even laws that demand buckling up can’t prevent all the casualties. Actually, reading the Driver's statement that “of the 91 teens killed in Colorado in 2003, 46 were not using seatbelts. If everyone had buckled up at least half of them should have survived,” makes you wonder what’s the point of a seatbelt altogether. I mean if, of the 91 teens killed 46 were not using seatbelts, then, by the process of elimination, 45 were. And they all got killed. Talk about the difference the seatbelt makes . . .
Furthermore, “alcohol is involved in about one-third of fatal crashes involving 16-19-year-old-drivers” (The Driver's). Now, this may be a bleak opinion, but I don’t see any way around this. Laws and programs can forbid drinking or advertise against it, but they are powerless to prevent it.
Not that these programs are useless—not by far. The Driver’s suggests “reductions of 38% and 40% in fatal and injury crashes, respectively, among 16-year-old drivers,” which is a huge improvement, since every life counts. It’s just a bit unrealistic and impractical to try getting rid of teenage car crashes and deaths altogether or throw it around like a society’s failure when the ability to prevent a large number of these deaths lies solely with the driver—as in the case of 1/3 alcohol involvement.
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
Wilson, Kevin A. "Back to School: Teenage Driving." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 18-22.
“America watches many more young people die in traffic accidents than it does in military service, and yet there is very little politic and public activity related to stemming these deaths,” it is very unfortunate that some young people are not responsible enough to take care of themselves while driving, but it is not completely their fault, the parents need to be responsible for their children while they are young and teach them that if they don’t wear a seat belt they will probably die if they get in an accident (Wilson 19). It is not the government’s problem if teens don’t want to wear seat belts, they have passed laws and written many tickets to keep people safe, but they can only go so far. Parents are the ones that need to be the more responsible ones and teach their children to wear their seat belts and drive safely.
The government has passed the permit law for a reason, while having a permit kids are supposed to learn from their parents when they drive, but how can a child learn if they are not being guided or taught. I can’t count how many times my parents sat busily in the car while they were supposed to be teaching me how to drive, they were on their phones or simply not paying attention. I know this is true for many young adults because I have seen it and heard stories about it. Also, parents need to lead by example, how can you expect a child to be told something from a hipacrit and listen; it’s like if someone tells you “Don’t touch that it’s dangerous!” and then they go and do exactly what they told you not to do, it is ridiculous that anyone would think that would work. Speaking of leading by example, parents also need to teach and enforce that alcohol is not ok in their household or any where else. Alcohol is dangerous, and there is a reason alcohol is not okayed for anyone under twenty one. There have been studies that have proven that the use of alcohol under the age of twenty one causes the loss of brain cells; it’s a wonder America’s stance in higher education has dropped under all of our competitors. How is our country supposed to be a highly educated and greatly respected country if all of our soon to be adult citizens have only half their brains left? The upcoming adults really need to step it up and take care of themselves to better America and stay alive.
According to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Agency (RMIIA), sixteen year old drivers have higher crash rates than any other age level. But is this increased rate really due to recklessness? Personally, I think it has much more to do with the fact that these drivers are the most inexperienced on the road. At sixteen, a person has been driving for most likely a year. I know from recent experience that being inexperienced and barely able to be on the road alone legally, can be a very scary thing. Many people at this age cannot make such split second decisions that may be needed on the road. Do I go after this car? Should I wait for the next? Is the car behind me mad because he thinks I should have just gone? When you are unsure about what to do and you feel pressure from other people on the road, you may make a decision you wouldn’t normally make which could cause a crash. This has nothing to do with being reckless. Teen drivers have been given this unfair and stereotypical category when in most circumstances it may not be true. I do understand that sometimes it is very true. There are teen drivers out there who will drive recklessly for no reason endangering themselves and others just for the thrill of it. The thrill of maybe getting caught. The thrill of getting away with driving twenty miles over the speed limit. The thrill of weaving in and out of cars on the highway. Because of these teenage drivers, ALL teenage drivers have been categorized as reckless, irresponsible, and out of control.
Like Ashley and Olga have said, another cause is most likely alcohol. In 2006, thirty one percent of teen drivers (aged 15-19) had been drinking. Of these drivers, twenty five percent had a blood alcohol level of over .08 (RMIIA). These are staggering statistics considering the ages specified (15-19) are well under the legal age for consumption of alcohol. Then the question of where the alcohol is coming from is raised. If these teen drivers are not allowed to buy the alcohol, they must be getting it from somewhere. Is it correct to then place some of the blame onto the people responsible for supplying minors with alcohol?
"National Teen Driving Statistics." Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association 2007 21 Sep 2008
“In 2005 twelve 16 to 19 year olds died every day” (“Teen Drivers”). This number is a number that is very shocking. But, many things are missing to make it more reliable. How many of them were drinking? How many were cause by the teen driver? How many were not wearing seat belts? All of these play a role in what happened. A person can find horrifying statistics like this anywhere. I am not saying that they are not true, but they tend to be miss leading. All of the young children that die had a choice. They made the wrong one. They are kids, the one bad choice they made just so happened to take their life, and that is terrible.
People seem to always look to the government to fix these kinds of problem, and recently they have. They have come up with so many rules that only teens getting their license seem to know them. They cannot get their permit until they are 16, unless they take a driving class (“The Drivers”). A 16 year old cannot drive anyone, other than sibling, until they have had their license for six months, and can only drive one till they have had their license for a year (“The Drivers”). All of these rules and regulations were made up by the government as a response to the pressure of the society. They do not work.
The only kids that follow these rules are the “good” kids. They are probably already very safe drivers because they do not want to get in trouble. They are the kids that drive the speed limit and not one over. These kids would be just fine drivers if someone else were in the car. They are responsible and mature, maybe more than a 17 or 18 year old.
On the other hand there are the “bad” kids. The ones that speed; and run red lights and stop signs. They will even drive other kids before they are allowed to. The rules just give them something else to test how far they can push the limit. They are the ones that are in most of the fatal car accidents. So are all the rules really worth it? Or are they just a joke?
No matter how many rules and regulations the government makes, there will always be the people who break them. This defeats the purpose. The only way to help lower the number of driving related deaths in teens lies in the hands of the parents. They need to show their children how to be safe drivers. They can do this by teaching them when the get their permit, and making their own consequences if they do not follow the government rules, even if they do not get caught. The government cannot deal with everyone, but a parent can make a difference in one driver. This could make all the difference.
Honestly, unless Kelsey B W suggests that parents ride in their teenagers' cars until those teenagers are about thirty, I don't see how "The only way to help lower the number of driving related deaths in teens lies in the hands of the parents." This is not to critize Kelsey, by the way; a lot of that responsibility does lie with parents. They should teach by example and pay more attention to their children's questions about driving. On the other hand, laying the entire blame at their feet is a hopeless endeaver.
Here is another solution in the realm of wishful thinging: bike sharing. Did you know that major cities like London and Paris have instituted a program of bike commuting? Time magazines says, "Paris launched the Vélib program a year ago, and while très cheap (its name is French shorthand for "free bike"), it's actually not free. Although places like Copenhagen, Lyons and Barcelona are big on bike-sharing, the City of Lights (paris) boasts the crème de la crème, with 20,600 bikes and about 1,450 stations--four times the number of Parisian metro stops." Denver is also about to institute this program.
This innovation in public transport will lower carbon emissions, clear up parking lots and save poor teenagers' money on gas. And while this program might be a bit tough in s prawling city like Denver, I imagine it works great in a cluttered Metropolis like Paris where everything is close by.
Actually, I am all for stuffing up the city with public transport and getting rid of cars, but that's definetly not going to happpen. It's too bad that this city is designed with such huge distances between places that walking or riding a bike just isn't much of an option. Constant up-and-down hills don't help either.
Dell, Kristina. "Bike Sharing Gets Smart." Time 12 June 2008 22 Sep 2008 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1813972,00.html.
(If you want to find the actual article, just google "denver public bike sharing" and it's the third or forth entry.)
This comment has been removed by the author.
Olga S does bring up a great point of how to get rid of accidents all together. But, I will not work. Really is everyone going to buy a bike and ride them everywhere? Americans are known as the laziest people. Yes, there are other forms of transportation, but teen will not use them, and this is the problem. Many adults car pool to work or take the light rail or the bus. This cuts down on a lot of traffic, but does not solve to issue of teen related accidents.
No matter how many rules and regulations that the government makes; practice is the only way to get better. Teens need practice behind the wheel, and many of them do not get enough. Yes, a person is required to have 60 hours of driving, 10 of those night hours (DMV). A person could easily have someone sign off on these hours without really driving them. Kids are also not required to take a driving class. If they get their permit after 15 and 6 months they can just have a parent as a teacher (DMV). This may even give them less time behind the wheel. All of this adds up to make many teens very inexperienced.
There are ways to help a driver become more experienced. Drivers Edge, for example. This is not like any normal driving class. As a student there are obstacle courses that the driver must complete. Such as driving at high speed on a wet, soapy road and the car spinning out because the instructor pulled the emergency break (Gritzinger 26). There is no where that a teen can experince this. A driving class such as Drivers Edge should be required for all teens. This classs would help give teens experice with the situations that do not occur in every day driving. Making them more prepaired if it happens to them.
The only way to lower the number of teen related accidents is to educate teen. Programs such as Drivers Edge will help do this.
"Old Laws and New Laws." DMV.Org. 2008. 22 Sep 2008 http://www.dmv.org/co-colorado/teen-drivers.php.
As Kelsey B pointed out, “If [teenage drivers] get their permit after 15 and 6 months they can just have a parent as a teacher.” This is not enough to provide teenage drivers the experience they need to be on the road themselves. In Colorado, the only requirements for trading in an instruction permit to get the actual driver’s license is holding the permit for a full year, logging 50 hours of drive time, and completing behind-the-wheel training: “They may complete either 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a driving instructor from an approved school or 12 hours of behind-the-wheel with their parent, guardian or alternate permit supervisor” (“The Driver’s”). Just as Kelsey commented on the fact that any teenager could easily get the required log hours signed-off without completing them, they could also get their behind-the-wheel time signed-off if it is their parents responsibility to take them driving for those hours. On the other hand, many teenagers do not have the money to receive the 6 hours with an approved instructor. This is an issue the government could do something about—make it affordable for all teenagers to receive approved training from a driving school that cannot sign-off hours without actually providing the training for the duration of those hours. According to MasterDrive, one of Colorado’s approved driving schools, “What we have found is that most—not all, but the large majority of teen—are totally willing to become a RESPONSIBLE driver. IF we make sure they get the right type of training.” The problem is that this type of training is not available to most teenagers. If the government is going to do something to help reduce the number of deaths among teenagers that involve car crashes, they should put forth the efforts to give them the experience that that makes them responsible drivers. Once the government makes this program available to all teenagers, the law can be raised to include this training that as part of many graduated driver’s licensing programs has caused fewer accidents and deaths among teenage drivers.
“For Teens Only: Information for Students.” www.masterdrive.com. 2007. MasterDrive. 23 Sept. 2008. < www.masterdrive.com/students >.
Kelsey B. proposes the idea that the only way to lower the number of teen related accidents is to educate the teen. If teens could acquire a better sense of awareness and experience with driving, the survival rate of teenage drivers would increase rapidly. Even though many changes have been made to reduce the risk, an astonishing amount of fatalities are still occurring. If driving regulations are not making a significant impact, then shouldn't the parents be to blame?
Kids are alive who would have been dead doing it the old way. But for it to work best, it really needs parents to step up (Berardelli 19). Parents play a key role in the driving process. Without guidance and proper control over driving, many teens will find themselves ignorant in a tough situation. This not only makes the driver nervous, but it heightens the risk of an accident. Most parents are not alarmed by the danger of teen driving. No parent would pay for only six piano lessons and then expect a child to perform at a concert . . . So why is it, when it counts the most -- when it becomes a matter of life and death -- that so many parents shrink from their responsibility to instruct, supervise and protect their children? Why do they settle for only six hours of driver training behind the wheel? (Berardelli 21) Parents need to supervise their children and assure that they can truly grasp the concept. Even though these children are now teens and they are expected to take on more independence, parents are still parents and they need to adhere to their obligations. It seems that if parents would take the necessary precaution and make certain that his or her teen has enough experience behind the wheel, and then roads would be much safer.
This above post was by Brook Wyss
Kelsey B. is correct when she says, “The only way to lower the number of teen related accidents is to educate the teen.” Parents are included! “The parents’ job is to know and enforce the laws” (“The Driver’s”) Parents need to know their son or daughter’s capability level before sending him or her out on the road and the only way for the parent to know is by supervising the teen and really making sure that the teen is ready for anything before his/her license is issued. After all, the parents are usually the ones providing the kids with money for insurance, gas, or even the car itself.
Although parents are a key factor in enforcing the laws for their teens, they are not completely to blame. Teens need to realize that one bad choice could cost a life. Personally, I do not like the stereotype that all teens are bad drivers, but after reading the opening statement of this blog :that more teens were killed in car accidents in a 41 month period than U.S. soldiers in Iraq, that becomes more difficult to argue.
Steph O. brought up a great point about making driver’s education more affordable to teens. If the government provided financial assistance to all teens who needed it then the number of teens with a proper driver’s education would increase. Education is key when it comes to lowering the amount of accidents and deaths that occur with teens involved.
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
Citation = ("The Driver's")
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While Brook Wyss thinks that “Parents need to supervise their children and assure that they can truly grasp the concept,” Candace’s has a more reasonable idea when she says that parents “need to know their son or daughter’s capability level [in driving]”. I think Kelsey B W already raised the idea that a lot of teenagers get into crashes not because they lack experience but because they choose to ignore the rules and test the limits. The “good kids” would probably benefit from parent supervision and more opportunities, but what about the rest? Where do the irresponsible kids come from? Would parent supervision really help in their case? I mean, if their parents could spare the time to supervise them in the first place, would the kids even be in the “bad kid” category?
According to Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2005, released by the U.S. Census Bureau in August, 2007, “there are approximately 13.6 million single parents in the United States today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.2 million children (approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.S. today)”. While most of these children are not that god-forsaken stereotype of a kid in the bad neighborhood, the fact remains that these parents need to earn a living and they just don’t have time to ride in their teen’s car as much as they should. Even if these are the kids that need more parent supervision and experience, there is no point in harping about it; parents aren’t going to leave their jobs to supervise their kids.
Another aspect of this is that the teenagers from these families may not be able to afford a car–either without significant sacrifices in other areas like schoolwork because of a job or at all—and will car pool together. Increasing the likelihood of a car accident for each person added.
So, in the end, while parents who can comfortably spare the time should devote it to their children, thinking that only parent supervision can solve the problem will get us nowhere. All parents should know the skill level of their children; children of busy parents need to get those skills from somewhere other than their parents.
Wolf, Jennifer. "Single Parent Statistics." About.com. 22 may 2008. 27 Sep 2008 http://singleparents.about.com/od/legalissues/p/portrait.htm.
If parents, even single parents, are going to use the excuse that they have to work instead of keeping their children from possibly dying in a car accident, then they and we should probably be checking their values. Because last I checked family comes first.
Another aspect of teen driving is if the teen is already educated and the parents have spent plenty of time educating them, but the teen chooses not to us the education while driving, then it is not the parents’ fault if the teen is a bad driver. The big thing is, once the teen gets their license they are responsible for their own life and other people lives while driving. They need to understand that it is not a joke, people’s lives are at risk.
I like Olga’s idea about bike sharing, it’s a cheaper, more efficient mode of transportation, and it’s healthier than using a car. According to Medical news today, Colorado is the least heaviest state in America and there are still an abundance of obese people here, can you imagine what it’s like in other states? 64.5% of Americans are obese or overweight. Our world ranking in the category of obesity is almost triple the countries in Europe, who surprisingly use bikes or walk; imagine that! If people in America used bikes or walked reasonable distances to get what they needed that would severely reduce the obesity rate of Americans today. Also, it would probably cut the amount of accidents in half! America would be a healthier safer environment if its’ citizens took this into consideration.
Oklard, Jeane. "Food Standards Agency." http://www.food.gov.uk/. Spetember 28 2008. 28 Sep 2008
http://www.food.gov.uk/healthiereating/advertisingtochildren/promotion/issues/obesityratesworldwide/
Dell, Kristina. "Bike Sharing Gets Smart." Time 12 June 2008 22 Sep 2008http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1813972,00.html.
Olga and Ashley both brought a very interesting point about biking places instead of driving. While this seems like a good solution, the fact still remains that some people live just too far away to be able to bike to work in the morning without getting up at three. However, people that are able to bike to their destinations could help tremendously. There would be fewer cars on the road, potentially lowering the odds of an accident.
Also, as Kelsey said, the rules instated by the government aren't being followed anyway. Adding more will do absolutely no good. Just watch as you drive out of the Columbine High School parking lot for lunch tomorrow. Almost every car will have at least 2 kids in it, several of which are riding illegally. What are more rules really going to do? Kids will just break them like the ones we already have.
Drivers are given the opportunity to learn more about driving, but there aren't very many who take advantage of this. In a course called "Alive at 25," there was a poll taken by 1000 students enrolled. Ninety-two percent of these students said that overall, they became safer drivers because of it. This program can also be court issued as a punishment for reckless drivers. Possibly, a course like this should be required for all drivers before they get their license. At least with something like this, we can all rest assured that all teenagers have done this. Whether or not the parents signed off on their child’s hours and behind the wheel training, they will have some experience. Some insurance companies offer another option. They have now designed a camera that is activated when a sudden change of speed, like slamming on brakes or accelerating. The camera then records what is going on inside the car for about thirty seconds. The film is then transferred to the website where parents can access it. From the footage, they can see what caused the activation. Sometimes it is not the child’s fault, like when a car in front of them slams on their brakes. Sometimes, however, kids can be caught texting, talking to other people in the car, or messing with the radio. This would also cause kids to try to drive better so that the camera would not activate. I think that this is a very safe and interesting tool. While some may see it as spying on their kids, if it lowers the fatalities and crashes caused by teenagers, why not use this?
"About Alive at 25 ." The Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation 2008 28 Sep 2008
Riding your bike somewhere will reduce the obesity rate of Americans (64.5%) and it is more environmental friendly. However, in Europe all the cities and towns are built closer together, if someone wants to go to the store they only have to walk a maximum of three blocks or so. They walk everywhere because it is stupid to drive and try to park than it is to walk there. They walk because it is faster to them to walk and we drive because it is faster for us to drive. In the USA people have to drive places because they are built further apart. In Europe the downtown area is in walking distance to most people of that city or town, therefore, they walk for all there errands.
Single parents do want to put their family before their job but without a job how will they pay for everything, including driving school. If they don’t go to work then how will they pay for food. I disagree with Ashley L because the single parents do not have a choice, it’s either food money or driving time. I understand that parents need to participate in their children’s lives and driving experiences. A parent can have their child drive to school, or to the store when the parent goes. There are other ways to observe your child’s driving than having to disrupt their work.
“No driving between midnight and 5 a.m. until you've had a driver's license for at least one year, unless accompanied by a parent/legal guardian” (“The Drivers”). I do not like this rule. I believe if one is driving after 12 o’clock it is their business and the government should stay out of it. They have their license and can do as they please as long as they follow the rules. For example, what if a teenager is over at their grandparents house helping them out with some stuff and it gets past 12 o’clock, who is to tell them they are not allowed to drive home? It is their responsibility to drive safe. Plus, at that time at night there are not that many cars on the street anyways so it is probably safer to drive at that time than it is during the day. As long as the driver is being a safe aware driver then they should be able to drive any time they please. Another thought 12 midnight is not that late. In Europe children during the summer do not go out until 11 or so. No one tells them what to do, why should they tell us?
The camera in the car while a teenager is driving is a unique but smart way to monitor drivers. Megan B brings up an interesting tactic that should be put into practice as soon as possible. But in many cases people will argue that they are too expensive and will not pay for them. I believe they should be loaned to teen drivers and when they are finished using them returned to the government for reloaning. This way people will not have to pay for the camera and the teenager becomes a better and more aware driver.
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
Oklard, Jeane. "Food Standards Agency." http://www.food.gov.uk/. September 28 2008. 28 Sep 2008
http://www.food.gov.uk/healthiereating/advertisingtochildren
"About Alive at 25 ." The Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation 2008 28 Sep 2008
Demitra A says, “It is [teens] responsibility to drive safe.” Though this is true, if teens took the responsibility seriously then the number of crashes and teen deaths due to car irresponsibility would be less. If teens took their responsibility, the government would not have to create laws in an attempt to reduce teen deaths on the road. Teens need to take responsibility, but they are not, so other ways to avoid all the car accidents and teen deaths need to be developed.
Demitra A also says, “At night there are not that many cars on the street.” There may be fewer, but as The Driver’s Seat states, “More impaired and unsafe drivers are on the road.” So teen drivers who still have only a little experience are now facing more unsafe drivers on the road with them, a shorter distance illuminated by their own headlights, a greater contrast between the dark of night and the intense bright of other drivers’ lights, and are having to make judgments just as fast. The laws about night driving are a simple safety measure that force new drivers to have more experience before facing harder driving situations. Also, this is not Europe and most American teenagers do not begin their evening at 11pm, but rather multiple hours before. The expectations in the United States cannot be compared to the expectations in Europe unless the situations are at least similar. Night driving also connects to curfew laws, which is an entirely different discussion, but this is an easy piece parents can play a part of without altering their own life drastically. Parents can enforce the curfew. Whether a teenage driver’s parents follow the local curfew or choose a curfew on their own, they can be responsible for making sure their teen is home, or safely and legally somewhere, for those hours. This conversation has seen reason for and against parental responsibility in teen driving, but this is one small piece parents can do without being with their teen at all times; the parent needs only to make sure the teen comes home and stays home during the required hours and punish the teen if this agreement is not followed. In this way, parents have played a role in their teens’ safe driving, if only in a small way, by removing them from the most risky driving time.
In regards to the camera or other systems that track a teen’s driving, it is a good concept, but presents a possible issue for teens that rebel against too much parental control. For example, one such system is Safeco’s Safety Beacon notifications that provide parents with such information as knowing “your teen arrived safely, even when they forget to check in.” Two problems become apparent with safety devices like these: they provide teens reasons not to be responsible and they cause teens to feel as if their life is being controlled too much. If a teen feels like their life is run too much by anyone but themselves they are more likely to find ways rebel and take bigger risks. On the other hand, if a teen knows their parents will know they are safe by some device they lose their reason for being accountable and letting their parents know for themselves. So, even though cameras and other safety devices have valuable basis, they do not address the issues that may cause more teen driving problems.
“Safety Beacon Notifications.” www.teensurance.com. 2008. Safeco. 6 Oct. 2008. < www.teensurance.com/beacon >.
Going off of what people have said about electronic devices being implanted in our cars for safer driving, I would like to bring up what Ford has started doing. This innovative new technology is called MyKey and it, "allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume. MyKey also encourages safety-belt usage, provides earlier low-fuel warnings and can be programmed to sound chimes at 45, 55 and 65 miles per hour." MyKey will quickly become a standard on all Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models. This feature was created specifically with teen drivers in mind.
The MyKey features are that the top speed is 80mph and limited audio volume to 44 percent of total car volume. I personally don't like the volume control feature because I like to be driving with my music blasting. That's one of the privileges of having your own car, being able to have the music however loud you want it. Though the speed limit feature is pretty useless because how many teen drivers are going 80mph, which is the top speed its programmed for.
"FORD’S NEW MYKEY SYSTEM HELPS TEENS DRIVE SAFER, CONSERVE FUEL; GIVES PARENTS PEACE OF MIND." media.ford.com. Ford Motor Company. 8 Oct 2008
With all the talk about electronic devices in the car I thought it interesting to read what Kevin H said about the MyKey program. The audio control might be helpful in preventing teenage car accidents because many teens do get distracted by the radio when driving, myself included. However, the speed control is useless because 80 mph still allows room for teens to speed. The seatbelt feature on this program is useless also. Parents and teen driving programs encourage the teen to wear a seatbelt while driving, but does that mean the teen is going to be wearing a seatbelt? I strongly believe in wearing a seat belt while driving or riding as a passenger in the car. Seatbelts might not reduce the occurrence of car accidents with teens involved, but they do save lives. “More than half the people killed in motor vehicle crashed in 2005 were not wearing safety belts (“Teen Drivers”). “In 2005, three out of four teen drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt.9 (“Teen Drivers”). Although in the second situation the crash was caused by drinking and driving, a seatbelt could have saved a life.
The main problem with teenagers and their driving is that many teens choose to break the law. Many teens have a mentality that nothing bad could happen to them while driving and so they speed, or drink and drive, or simply get distracted. The problem with that is, teens are not the only ones on the road, there are other people too. My parents have told me that I am taking out a two-ton weapon when I get on the road, and that definitely makes me think twice about speeding, it’s not just my life in danger.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet." cdc.org. 18 July 2008. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Unintentional Injury. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm >.
Citation = ("Teen Drivers")
This is America, it is not Europe, but beside the fact teenagers still are starting their night at around 8 o’clock or so. If they start their night at 8 they will most likely not get home till after midnight anyways. So beside the point that it is America teenagers still act the same all over the world. I understand the government wants our teenagers to be safe at night, but do not make a curfew for all teenagers. Make they ticket prices higher and deduction of points more severe. There are other ways to make the streets more safe than making a curfew law. It is not the parents job to baby-sit their teenagers while they are driving. A license is a privilege and if the teenager abuses that license then it should be revoked. This can be done with making consequences with tickets more severe.
I do not believe if car companies put cameras in cars then teenagers will feel the need to rebel. Not all teenagers feel the need to act out if they are feeling that their lives are being controlled. This is just a stereotype. Cameras will make the students feel a more need to drive safe because if they do not they could get punished for it. I believe it will just make them feel more pressured to watch their surroundings.
MyKey, as Kevin H says, is a device that will take hold on limits in one car. I think this is a good idea because it will keep a student under 80mph. This speed is fast enough to go on the high way but not too fast where they can loose control and die. But it still is a high speed where anything can happen. As Kevin states, “Though the speed limit feature is pretty useless because how many teen drivers are going 80mph, which is the top speed its programmed for.” I disagree with this statement. I know many teenagers that tell stories of going way over 80mph. Not only on the high way but also around town like on Wadsworth and bigger streets like that. Many teenagers feel that going fast gives them a thrill and they most likely do it more than once. This limit on mph is a very smart safety feature. The volume limit is also very clever. While the music is playing most teenagers are more focused on the song than the road. The higher the volume they more drivers tend to sing, I know I do, therefore they do not pay that much attention to the road causing unsafe driving. I believe this feature in new cars will lower the risk of crashes and help teen drivers very much whether they like it or not.
“MyKey is appealing to parents of teen drivers, including 75 percent who like the speed-limiting feature, 72 percent who like the more insistent safety-belt reminder, and 63 percent who like the audio limit feature, according to a recent Harris Interactive Survey conducted for Ford.” these are the facts stated my the Ford company. The majority of parents will like to have control of the car their children are driving. While also controlling what goes on in the car the students are also learning safe driving habits like wearing their seatbelts and driving the speed limit.
"FORD’S NEW MYKEY SYSTEM HELPS TEENS DRIVE SAFER, CONSERVE FUEL; GIVES PARENTS PEACE OF MIND." media.ford.com. Ford Motor Company. 8 Oct 2008
The “DriveCam” car camera that has been discussed and the MyKey system that Kevin H W just brought up both seem like very wise strides towards making teenagers safer drivers and in reducing the death rate of teen drivers each year. They both monitor the teens’ driving and would thus, be likely to cause them to pay more attention and be more responsible when driving. If they know that their parents will be informed every time they perform some kind of dangerous action on the roads, or if they know that they will be alerted by chimes each time they exceed to a certain speed and will not be able to have the car volume increased to a certain point, then teens will have a much stronger motivation to drive safely and sensibly. By involving the parents in a way that involves video proof, the cameras “may help parents and teachers support teens without restricting their freedom” and by “reviewing the video” it hopefully “will help teens - and their peers who also see the videos - become better drivers” (Becker).
The only problem that I see with these devices is, as Kelsey B W and Olga S W mentioned, that the only students that would most likely be willing to have one of these safety devices in their vehicles would be the “good kids” who are dependable, alert, and focused drivers. A personal experience I have had with this situation is that my friend told me that her mom was going to require her to get one of these “DriveCam” cameras as soon as she got her license, and I had not heard these devices before when she told me. I was astounded because she is a great student and is very responsible—she is the last person who would need such supervision. This is not to say that all good teens who are inexperienced drivers do not need safe precautions and that they wouldn’t help reduce the risk of teen deaths from car accidents by having one of these devises, but it just helps prove that the irresponsible drivers, the ones who such devices were invented for, are most likely NOT going to get these for the exact reason that they know they will choose to because they enjoy the thrill of being irresponsible. They will easily break the rules like letting “more than one passenger under the age of 21” ride in their car before having their “driver’s license for at least one year” (“The Driver’s”).
And even if parents of the irresponsible teenagers are smart enough to insert one of the cameras in their child’s car or to get the MyKey system for their teen, their teen would probably find some way to destroy the camera, cover up the lens, or take it out of their car, etcetera. And it is these students who raise the questions that Olga S W and many others have been analyzing throughout this blog: “Where do [these] irresponsible kids come from? Would parent supervision really help in their case?” And “if parents could spare the time to supervise them in the first place, would the kids even be in the ‘bad kid’ category?”
The answer or fault of this problem certainly lays one hundred percent with the parents or guardians, the ones who raised the teenager. I know—for a fact—that if the parent raises their child with good, moral beliefs and DOES IT RIGHT, then they will have succeeded as a parent and have taught their teenager to apply this good way of living in every aspect if life—including in their driving. They have taught them that following the law is right, and their child will agree with their parent because their mom, dad, or guardian has raised them intelligently enough to agree and to see why these laws are created—to keep the roads safe and to save lives (all the points that we are blogging about) and to understand and follow them because they are aware of the stupid choices that can be made and the devastating consequences. I feel strongly that I am an example, as MANY of us bloggers are, of someone who is being raised correctly and is perfectly informed of the laws and who chooses to follow them because I have always learned that it is right to do so. My mom always used to tell me how she thinks “it is so strange how one needs to go through driving classes, a permit, instructing, and tests in order to become a legal driver, but yet ANYONE can just become a parent.” This statement seems extremely relevant here because all of us are arguing about how parenting plays a role in how a teen drives and in the teen death rate from car accidents, and in my opinion it plays an enormous role.
Becker, Michael. “Western Transportation Institute to study drowsy and distracted teen driving.” Montana State University Mountains and Minds. 25 Aug. 2008. 8 Oct. 2008. < http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=6125>.
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
The MyKey car will give parents one more way to control their teens and not teach them responsibilities. Parent who are willing to pay for this car just because they do not have the time or want to teach their teen the rules and responsibilities that come with driving need to think about what they are doing. A car can only do so much. It cannot punish the driver for speeding. It can keep him or her from turning up the music, but he or she should know better. That should have been taught by the parents. The price of this car is going to be outrageously high. There is no way that parents that could barely pay for their teen to go to driving school are going to be able to pay for a brand new car. Yes, the speed and music controls would be nice because the parent would always know their teen is following the rules, but it really does not teach them a lesson. When they get in another car, they are just going to speed and turn up the music because they can. Teens are rebels. As I said before, the “good kids” are going to follow the rules and the “bad kids” are going to break them. There is no reason to get a “good kid” this car because they are already going to follow the rules, unlike the ‘bad kids”. This car can only do so much and will not solve all the problems, parents still have to teach their teens, and supervise them. They can use this car as a tool to do this, though.
Jackie brings up a great point about how anyone can become a parent, and they do not need classes, a permit, or tests. Parents should be able to judge when their child is responsible enough to hold a divers license, not the state. The government does not know each teen at the level their parents do. Some teen may be responsible enough to get a license at fourteen while others not until they are eighteen. It just depends on the kid. Parents should not feel like the rules that say a driver can get their permit at fifteen and a license a year after have to be followed strictly. The rules should instead be used as guidelines. The final decision should lie in the parent’s judgment on the responsibility of their teen.
"FORD’S NEW MYKEY SYSTEM HELPS TEENS DRIVE SAFER, CONSERVE FUEL; GIVES PARENTS PEACE OF MIND." media.ford.com. Ford Motor Company. 8 Oct 2008
The curfew law is just fine. Even if a teen’s night started at eight, I do not think that they have to get home past midnight. I really like Steph’s comment when she says, “So teen drivers who still have only a little experience are now facing more unsafe drivers on the road with them, a shorter distance illuminated by their own headlights, a greater contrast between the dark of night and the intense bright of other drivers’ lights, and are having to make judgments just as fast.”That says it all perfectly. Teens are unprepared to be driving so late at night, if they have just received their licenses, especially.
I do not really like the MyKey. It is a good idea, but it has many flaws to it. I like what Candace says when she states that “the speed control is useless because 80 mph still allows room for teens to speed.” The 80mph limit will not stop teens from speeding on a 40mph road. How many teens are stupid enough to go more than 80 down Pierce? Going 50 on the other hand does not seem so bad, and it is possible with the MyKey. The chimes are a good idea though. I have been driving along and looked down at the speedometer, and then realized that I was speeding. It would be nice to be alerted when I hit certain speeds.
I agree in full with Jackie when she makes the point that “the answer or fault of this problem certainly lays one hundred percent with the parents or guardians, the ones who raised the teenager.” I would just like to add on to that statement that not only raising the teen right can help solve the problems, but teaching them to drive correctly also. I understand that once a teenager is on their own driving they tend to form bad habits that they did not have when their parents had to drive with them, but if a parent stresses something more than they stress something else, chances are it will probably stick. (If that makes any sense at all.) When I had a permit, my mom put a huge stress on turning into the correct lane from an intersection, and not just skipping over into the far lane as many drivers are so prone to do. I hardly ever do that now that I have my license because my mom stressed that so much. If parents took more time to make sure that their children obeyed all of the rules then people would not break them as much.
*Just as a side note for everyone that thinks that male drivers are better than female drivers, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control statistics said this:
“In 2005, the motor vehicle death rate for male drivers and passengers ages 16 to 19 was more than one and a half times that of their female counterparts.”
And also:
“Male high school students (12.5%) were more likely than female students (7.8%) to rarely or never wear seat belts.”
"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet." cdc.org. 18 July 2008. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Unintentional Injury. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm >.
Citation = ("Teen Drivers")
In response to Jackie’s comment, “The answer or fault of this problem certainly lays one hundred percent with the parents or guardians, the ones who raised the teenager.” This seems a little bit harsh. In the Auto Week article on teen driving it says, “A teenager’s primary job is becoming an adult. They labor tirelessly to stop mindlessly obeying orders” (Zuber). As teens, we typically move away from what our parents teach us or how they raised us. Call it adolescent rebellion if you will, but at the ages of 15-19 we are pretty capable of thinking for ourselves—even to move past our upbringing. If a teen’s parents did not “raise” him or her the supposed right way, who then is to say he or she will end up as a bad person or an irresponsible person because of his or her upbringing. And even if a teen is raised correctly and the parents are involved and set rules, that teen can still be unaffected by this and make a stupid mistake. Plus, a child or teen is not only influenced by his or her parent; grandparents, aunts and uncles, family friends, neighbors, teachers and countless others play a huge part in how someone becomes who they are in later year. It is true parents are responsible, to an extent. Are they really responsible if their teen turns left on a red arrow in to traffic? No, they are not because a large percent of driving is plain old common sense. Unfortunately, it is not very common.
But what everyone seems to forget about is peer pressure. How many of have felt pressure to “drive cool” or, for a more appropriate term, to drive like raging idiots? It’s not so uncommon; for instance drag racing down streets or trying to prove how awesome your car is. Alcohol and drugs comes in to effect here as well. An article on teen driving fatalities in The Denver Post said, “The study found that . . . 21.2 percent involve alcohol, and 10.6 percent are drug-related.” The pressure to participate in drugs and alcohol as a teenage can be intense; some can overcome it—some can’t. The article also states, “Denver is first in the nation for fatal alcohol- and drug-related car crashes involving teenagers, according to a study released today by Allstate Insurance Co” (Denver Post). But what if you reversed the peer pressure? What if you told a friend not to drink that tequila or take a drag on that joint? In a way, it is our responsibility as friends and peers to keep each other from killing ourselves and/or others.
"Denver tops nation in fatal teen DUI crashes." The Denver Post 08 May 2008 9 Oct 2008
Zeber, Kenneth. "Death at the Wheel." Auto Week 04 Sep 2004 18-32. 9 Oct 2008
http://www.schoolnotes.com/80123/jwebb.attach3.temporary.tmp.pdf.
An alert, such as chimes ringing would be a great innovation in preventing the leading cause of all accidents--going too fast for conditions--as Lucy H says: "I have been driving along and looked down at the speedometer, and then realized that I was speeding. It would be nice to be alerted when I hit certain speeds." I find one flaw with that however. Would the car only chime once or continuously? Because alerting once would do no good for those "bad kids" Kelsey B was talking about. They would just ignore it completely, continuing to endanger not only the lives of themselves, but everyone around them as well.
I would also like to address the issue of the Laws of driving and receiving a license. Although some teen drivers complain 50 hours of drive time is IMPOSSIBLE to obtain within a year, it really breaks down to this as calculated by "The Driver's”: "50 hours over six months equals just 8.3 hours per month, or a little more than two hours per week." If law requires a student to maintain their drivers permit for at least a year that equals about one hour per week. Not that hard.
However, I think like most of the population, that developing the skills of an experienced driver takes more than one year. And this is why I am in favor of the GDL (Graduated Drivers License) Laws. One in specific that is very controversial is the restriction of "passengers under age 21 until you've had a license for at least six months." Although most people think this rule is pointless because people will break it anyways (and let’s admit it--we all have), this limiting of passengers is actually really good for you. I know when I had my permit I would always ask questions to my Mom or Dad like Megan B was saying in her first post. Should I go? Wait? What do I do?! Where do I need to be?! We all do this because of our inexperience and dependency upon our teachers and parents. But having the freedom to drive by yourself; now that is where you really learn. You have to learn street names, the behavior of drivers, and the limits and capability of your car and driving skills.
Without having my parents in the car I have learned to make decisions on my own and react quickly. In fact, last Saturday I nearly rear-ended a girl learning to drive because she was unsure of where to go and changed lanes and stopped right in front of me. Is that not how we all started out? Panicky? But because of my time spent alone at the wheel and no distractions I was able to safely avoid the collision.
The point is, "For 16 and 17-year-olds, carrying just one passenger increases the crash risk by about 50 percent." Something that can end up horribly because of the lethal combination of inexperience and distractions.
"Teen Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Laws." www.allstate.com. All State Insurence Company. 9 Oct 2008 < www.allstate.com/tools-and-resources/teen-gdl.aspx >.
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
On Cara T's earlier post, i would have to agree that I have learned a lot more driving without my parens with me in the car. You must make desicions for yourself, quickly and with confidence. I have learned more in the past eight days with my permit than i have with my permit for sic months.
In this way the GDL(Graduated Driver's License) laws are helpful as there are less distractions for you to focus and really learn to drive with the other cars on the road. Also, the GDL has been proven to reduce 38-40% of fatal injury crashes. However, I feel that it is simply frustrating when three of your friends are attending the same event and you must each drive separately to obey the law. Eight people? Eight cars go. It just seems ridiculous. And yet the environmentalists are telling us to carpool, ride bikes, altogether save gas. We are getting mixed messages here.
One of my friends who lives in Missouri recently got her license and the law there is three months with no passenger and six months with one. I think this is a more reasonable solution than Colorado's full year with one or no passenger. It still gives time to learn for the new drivers and makes things a little more timely.
The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) states, "Graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems are designed to delay full licensure while allowing teens to get their initial driving experience under low-risk conditions." The "low-risk" conditions they speak of are the other distracting teens that should not be in the car. They label all teens as "high-risk." We are, in fact, rebellious and inexperienced, but the kids who get into car accidents, which is a small portion, in relation to the entire population of teens, ruin the entire reputation of a teen driver. I see the point of the law but I'll find it very frustrating when I go to a movie tomorrow night and can't pick up a friend who would like to join me.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet." 18 July 2008. 9 October 2008.
sorry my name was weird on the last post...
Isn’t the government going a little too overboard with all these rules? Our parents didn’t grow up with cameras in their cars or laws about how many people you can drive when or people telling them to bike to school. The day our parents, or even some our older siblings, turned sixteen, they got their license and went and picked up their friends. Their parents didn’t install a camera in their car and the government didn’t make rules about the amount of people they could drive and guess what? They survived.
I do think that teens can be unsafe and turn up the music too loud or talk on the phone, but does every adult turn the music down and turn their phone off when they drive? The adults in the government need to consider all drivers when making these laws. The adults in the government probably need to evaluate their own driving habits, too, before they place all the blame on teens. If teenagers can’t even drive one friend, why can a mom drive her four screaming kids?
The Auto Week article says, ”In the end you want them to be good, safe drivers all the time—not only when they suspect someone’s watching” (Adams 32). If teens are only driving safe because there is a camera installed in their car, this poses an even greater danger because they are going to be more likely to be crazy drivers when they drive a car with no camera. If parents and the government cut the leash too short, teens are only going to rebel in even more dangerous ways than occasionally speeding or listening to the music too loud in their car. No teenager wants to be babysat, and that is just what installing a camera in their car is.
Olga mentioned the fact that teens “ignore the rules and test the limits” but isn’t that what being a teenager is about? It does seem unsafe to do this while driving, but there comes a point when teenagers need to learn what limits they can test on their own. Parents need to realize they have taught their kids as much as they can and just let them go drive. No cameras, no rules about cell phones, no limits on how loud their music can be.
Adams, Eric. "Spy Kids: How to Keep an Eye on Your Teen Driver." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 32-3.
The (GDL) laws. Yes, they have been proven effective. As Molly stated, (GDL) laws have reduced 38-40% of fatal car crashes. Obviously, the (GDL) laws are working towards their goals. But just like the exhaust that comes out of a car, there are certain undeniable social and environmental impacts.
The social impacts: Also as Molly pointed out, one may not be legally permitted to bring a friend along to an activity. This can be frustrating, especially for drivers who know their own limits and can take on the responsibility of a passenger. And about the safety-spy-intelligent-device-technology crap in the car—that is one of the most ironic and sad ideas. What is the point of a car, essentially freedom, if that freedom is monitored and controlled? Where is America going with this? Next the government will be monitoring us in the shower to see if we’re wasting water.
The environmental impacts: While the (GDL) laws are rarely followed, the teen drivers who do respect these laws are having to drive individually everywhere. This is steeply increasing waste emissions from vehicles in Colorado and in the United States. Kids are learning that it is okay to destroy the environment and deplete our natural resources because the government says they have to. Yes, there are laws of society and human government, but guess what—there are laws of nature that have much more endearing consequences.
The solution: ride a bike. One student sarcastically mentioned that Denver is much too spread out and that teens would have to wake up at three o’clock in the morning to get anywhere. (Unfortunately I could not find this post again, sorry) This is not true. My dad rides his bike from our house (near Wadsworth and Bowles) all the way to work in the heart of downtown Denver. Generally it takes him between forty-five minutes and one hour so don’t tell me bikes are an unreasonable method of transportation.
Biking isn’t your style? This is where the government should be acting. At this point in our generation, teens have become reliable on vehicular transportation. Rather than creating short term laws, the government should be focused on developing programs for alternate modes of transportation in the near future. Maybe my own children will be traveling by efficient public transportation. They will certainly be at less risk of an accident, and they won’t be destroying our environment.
Teenagers and cars; bad mix right? Well most seem to think so. I cannot say that I am an all time expert at driving, but what I can say is that I am a better, safer driver than a lot of folks out there. And, by the way, I am yet to receive my license.
I have had my permit for six months, this month and being out there driving as much as I possibly can, I have seen some things happen that make me second guess if I, as a teenager should really get stuck into this stereotype of being a bad driver. For example, when the guy in front of me is swerving back and forth through three lanes of traffic and he is paying no attention to those around him let alone himself. But guess what? This guy is some old fart who thinks he's a hot shot because he drives his Spider 1500 something or another that he paid a million dollars for after he retired. He is not a teenager. Well where is this guys camera, let alone his ticket for reckless driving? Courtney W says, “The adults in the government probably need to evaluate their own driving habits, too, before they place all the blame on teens.” Personally, I think this is true, not because I am one of those crazy, rebellious teens who wants there to be no laws and I think can drive however the heck I want. No. That’s not it at all. In fact I think, like many others that, laws for teens such as the Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) are good, even great ideas. Experience is absolutely essential to become a safe driver. As Cara T says, “You have to learn street names, the behavior of drivers, and the limits and capability of your car and driving skills.” In order to obtain these things you have to obtain time behind the wheel. Everyone knows, or should know, that that is a statement of fact. However, it makes me wonder why so many experienced drivers are driving stupid and reckless and no one worries about them because they are older. Just because you have been driving for sixty years does not always make you a good driver. In fact, that can have the tendency to mean that your driving skills are no longer in the best of shape.
I was walking out of Target one day and there was the cutest old man packing away his groceries; glasses, suspenders, bald, the whole nine yards. He had to be in his late seventies if not early eighties. This would mean he would have been driving for at least sixty years. That’s a lot of experience right? Right. That means he was a good driver right? Wrong. I was pulling out of the parking lot and I happen to drive behind where the old man was parked. I was waiting to turn as pedestrians crossed from both ways. As I waited I could hear the grumble of the man’s car begin. I thought nothing of it until he started to pull out of his space, heading for the side of my car. I couldn’t go because there were people in front of me. As I am flipping, trying to figure out what to do, I see my mom reach across the car and lay down on the horn. The old man had absolutely no clue I was even there until my mom reminded him that looking before you back out is always a good idea. When he stopped there was not much room between the two of us. Close call; really, really close.
Two things here: the old man and secondly myself. This old man had probably backed out of thousands of parking spaces in his day; no doubt more than me. However, who is cracking down on these old folks when they mess up? No one. When I am almost rammed into, in a parking lot nonetheless, it’s time to inspect that sweet old man’s driving, even though he has been at it for sixty years. I however cannot cast all the blame on this old man because if he did end up hitting me it would have been my fault too because without my mom there I would not have touched the horn until it was too late. Why? Because I would have rather had that man hit me than hurt his feelings? Maybe. Or maybe it was my lack of experience behind the wheel.
No matter what people say, driving for anyone is going to be dangerous. Not just the teenagers but everyone who gets behind the wheel is at risk. Teenagers just get all these stereotypes and statistics cast upon them way more often. Honestly, you decide if you are going to become that statistic. No matter how old you are you can always fit in somewhere. How about aggressive driving, or running red lights, or going at excessive speeds? I can guarantee that teens are not the only ones that fit in those categories.
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Eric M and Molly G make an excellent point about the environmental impact of driving separate cars and obeying the laws. This is a problem I am very familiar with and have a big concern with. I live and go everywhere with my three neighbors. We live less than a minute from each other and always carpool--to school, football games, even to the airport--and so far that has worked out wonderfully. However, starting on Monday this week all of us finally had our lessons. Most wanted to drive themselves and I think it’s crucial to get the practice. But that is four--FOUR--cars that are being driven when one will do just fine. This scenario surely happens all across America and it creates a large impact in our resources, what few is left of them.
However I have to disagree with Courtney W who argues that, "Our parents didn’t grow up with . . . laws about how many people you can drive when or people telling them to bike to school. If teenagers can’t even drive one friend, why can a mom drive her four screaming kids?" Correct me if I am wrong, but there is a HUGE difference between these comparisons. The whole point of the GDL laws is to gain experience at the wheel. As I said earlier this is very hard to do when there are blabbing friends and a blaring stereo surrounding you. At this stage we have not yet developed the ability to react quickly and possibly save lives within seconds of a speeding car that will broadside you, or from a falling pipe off of someone's pick-up truck. By the time you are 35 and have four screaming kids, driving has become second nature. My guess is that the mom is not freaking out about staying three-seconds behind the car in front of her.
Now I am not saying adults are always better drivers than teens, however, in cases like Cristina W's, experience plays a crucial role in saving a car or life. Cristina testifies "maybe it was my lack of experience behind the wheel." If the old man was in her shoes and vice versa (which could be very likely with a new driver) the man probably would have honked to alert her. This wisdom only comes with age and experience. The crash rates between teens and all other age groups are drastically different, re-enforcing why practice alone is so important. According to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "Crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group. In the United States, 1 in 4 crash fatalities involve someone 16 to 24 years old, nearly twice as high as other age groups." Also to reiterate how important not having passengers for the first six months is, "The crash fatality rate (crash fatalities/100,000 population) is highest for 16 to 17 year olds within the first six months after licensure — and remains high through age 24. Approximately two-thirds of teen passenger deaths (ages 13 to 19) occur when other teenagers are driving." So although driving a friend or two within the first six months may seem alright, one is taking a major risk. These new GDL laws may seem unfair because our parents did not grow up with them, but guess what; they did not wear seatbelts either.
"Keeping Young Drivers Safe--Facts and Statistics on Young Drivers." The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 2008. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 11 Oct 2008 < http://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=85547#Crash_statistics >
Apparently, teen drivers are quite a menace on the roads, and there are increasing numbers of ways the government is trying to decrease the massive number of deaths and accidents caused by teen divers. Apparently, teens consume alcohol at an alarming rate and then drive under its influence, thereby insuring the death of someone in the process. Apparently, there is an overwhelmingly high number of car-related teen deaths every year primarily caused by teens. And, apparently, this is all because teen drivers do not obey traffic laws at all, and are always speeding or causing some sort of illegal driving mishap. I find it very disturbing that the State Department of Transportation website takes up these views because they of all people should know how badly teens drive. Why, aren't they the one who license the teens with their driver's licenses in the first place? So then, if teens are still receiving licenses and the Department of Transportation is still complaining about the teens on the road, then who is responsible for all of these teenage deaths? The Department of Transportation, of course.
If the Department of Transportation were to make the driver's license test so rigorous as to weed out people how are, in fact, not capable of diving to the standard set by the state, then no one would be complaining about how many teens were killed in car crashes or how many teen-related accidents there were this year, only that no one, except for the very few drivers with the most experience, would be allowed to drive and how inconvenient it is. Aren't we, as teen drivers, always faced with that addage: "Driving is a privilege, not a right" - this new modification would simply make this significantly more applicable to the acquirement of one's drivers license.
Unfortunately, this kind of re-evaluation of the testing method would never go into effect because they would have to re-test all current holders of driver's licenses, and the great deal of them would most likely have their licenses revoked in this fashion. At least the roads would be safe for the minuscule percentage of drivers who are always perfect when driving, and no one could die from car0related accidents, because no one would be driving. Perhaps that is the kind of method we could use to solve the pollution problem.
Or maybe they should make teens take a driving test proving their proficiency at driving a different blood alcohol levels. That way when teens are drunk (because all teens party all the time and are always drunk and driving under the influence of alcohol)they could be able to drive home because they passed their drunk-driving proficiency test. It seems easier than try to stop teens from drinking at all (which is the actual problem, not that of teen's poor driving skills). Then all the would-be killed teen drivers would not die in alcohol-related car crashes.
Or maybe we just need automatic seat belts. That way when teens who are drunk, or just to lazy to, forget to put their seat belt on, the car just does it for them. Then only half of the teens involved in crashes would die because they were trapped by the automatic seat belt, or were strangled because of it.
The way I see it, the teen driving issue is abut what people are willing to do to stop their teen form driving, and not what people can do to make their teens safer while driving, becasue ultimately it is up to that teen to decide to get in the car with the guy who has had 5 beers or do something stupid in a car-full of teenagers. And there is nothing anyone can do to change what decision they decided to make.
To say that the State Department of Transportation is responsible for all of the reckless teenage drivers out on the roads is something I would have to disagree with. Though there are many teen drivers out on the road that should not be driving, the blame should not be all on the Department of Transportation. Many teen drivers, when taking the license test, are much more careful when an instructor is present in the car. They make sure that they follow all of the rules and do everything perfectly in order to get their license, but how much does their driving change when alone? The Department has no way to show or prove that they will be responsible drivers or if they will be careless when they are on their own. Teen drivers, though not in all cases, tend to drive differently when an adult is not in the car. I know many people who have told me that they are speeding and are not following all of the laws now that they have their licenses. The driving instructors do not have a way to know if they will be responsible because the only time they see the students driving is when they are together and the teen is on his or her best driving behavior.
Ethan G said that “if the Department of Transportation were to make the driver's license test so rigorous as to weed out people how are, in fact, not capable of diving to the standard set by the state, then no one would be complaining about how many teens were killed in car crashes or how many teen-related accidents there were this year,” and I must say that I like this idea. If the Department actually made the license test harder and created a way to see how people actually drove when alone, then the Department would be able to keep these drivers off of the road, making the other drivers and people safer than before. However, such a test would be extremely hard to establish because it is hard to observe the drivers when they are alone. If the test was harder and somehow the Department could truly see how people drove on their own, then they could judge whether it would be safe to let that person have their license. The license test for teenagers, and for everyone in that matter, should be more difficult to ensure that everyone becomes and stays responsible while driving.
I also like what Ethan G W had to say about the Department of Transportation saying that they need, "to make the driver's license test so rigorous as to weed out people how are, in fact, not capable of diving to the standard set by the state". But this needs to also include the older drivers. A lot of people are blaming us, the teens, for the majority of accidents in this country but I have seen a lot of older drivers who are much worse than teens just starting to drive.
So I say that they need to have a mandatory driving test like every 10-15 years so the roads can be even better driving areas. A lot of teens tend to be more cautious when they are behind the wheel because they haven't been driving as long but the older drivers seem to be more reckless because they have been driving for so long. This can include crossing multiple lanes at once, just "coming over" without using their turn signal so we have to slam on our breaks, or tailgating because they want to go faster than the posted speed which gets us panicking, asking ourselves, "should I speed up?" or "should I pull over?" or "should I stay the same speed and hope he passes me?" This could be avoided if the government implements a older driver driving test. If they don't pass it then it's the same rule as us, were they have to take it again until they pass.
If it weren't for the sky-high death rates of teen vehicle accidents, teen driving wouldn't create such a debate. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle accidents remain the leading cause of death for teenagers, outweighing suicide, homicide, and any other possible cause. This is shocking to hear, knowing that there are thousands of teens walking out of the DMV with a license each day. It seems that some drastic changes should be made to reduce the number of deaths. However, there is still the question that if changes were to be made would the teens change as well? Will they ever quit drinking and driving, speeding, or violating any other traffic laws that lead to death? I don't think so.
Being a fairly new driver myself, I can relate to overconfidence, the assumption that everything is under control, and how effortless it is to violate a law. It seems like it only takes a second to speed up from 45 to 50 mph. And it only takes a second to get a speeding ticket. Violating laws are much more common when friends are in the car. I can relate when Cara Thompson says, "As I said earlier, this is very hard to do when there are blabbing friends and a blaring stereo surrounding you." It seems that this reckless way of driving has become an ongoing tradition. In an older post, Megan Bond talked about the driving at Columbine High school. How the laws are broken as kids go out to lunch everyday. Ethan Goddard puts the blame on the Department of Transportation when he states, "If the Department of Transportation were to make the driver's license test so rigorous as to weed out people who are, in fact, not capable of driving to the standards set by the state, then no one would be complaining about how many teens were killed in car crashes or how many teen related accidents there were this year, only that no one, except for the very few drivers with the most experience would be allowed to drive." This solution may weed out a few "bad" drivers, but what about the rest who carefully follow rules and traffic laws for the test, but then choose to violate the laws later on? Most all of the teens that have died in traffic accidents did have a valid license. And in order to get that license they were required to know the traffic laws, but they chose to violate the laws later. It seems that teens will violate laws no matter what rule is established. So the question remains. Will this unfortunate tradition ever change? Will new rules truly make a difference?
"Teen Drivers." National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2008. 11 Oct 2008. www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.cd18639c9dadbabbbf30811060008a0c/?javax.portlet.tpst=4427b997caacf504a8bdba101891ef9a_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_4427b997caacf504a8bdba101891ef9a_viewID=detail_view&itemID=7f146a7445258110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD&viewType=standard.
Not only are the laws limiting passengers in teenagers’ cars frustrating; they can be dangerous, too. Just think about it. Teens love to be dangerous when they and four of their friends all have to take separate cars to the same place. They’ll speed and cut each other off or drive way to slow or hang out the window or talk with the windows down while driving. All of this seems way more dangerous than if all five of them were in one car. Even if the music is a little loud or the teens are talking to the driver, it is safer than having five cars trying to be funny around their friends. Annie B poses a great question, “How many of have felt pressure to ‘drive cool’ or, for a more appropriate term, to drive like raging idiots?” Almost every teen has felt this pressure, but it seems to be worse when teens are in separate cars, rather than in the same car.
Another law that Colorado has about teen driving that seems a little ridiculous is the law that fifteen year olds must complete all classroom hours of driver’s education classes before being allowed to get their permit. It seems a little ridiculous to me personally because this law was passed right before my fifteenth birthday but I had to wait an extra two months to get my permit. My friends whose birthdays were only a month before mine, could get their permit right on their birthday and they haven’t turned out to be any worse drivers. Driver’s education classes are a good idea; they just seem to teach simple things anyone could figure out while driving with their parents. It seems pretty easy to know that the gas pedal is on the right and how far you need to pull up to stop behind a stop sign. And then there are the things that are hard to remember unless you are actually behind the wheel: who has the right of way at a 4-way stop or how to position the car to park. And once a teen has finished learning all this information and not practicing it at the same time, getting on the road is scarier. The Auto week article discusses driver’s education course: “where learning the basis (what does an octagonal red sign mean?) and mastering the pitfalls of parking get more attention than hands-on training in emergency maneuvers” (Gritzinger 26). It is just frustrating to have to sit in a classroom and learn all the basics before you can get any hands on experience. And since this law went into effect, there hasn’t seemed to be much improvement amongst teen drivers.
The Driver’s Edge program mentioned in the Auto Week article is a great solution to this problem. The program is free to people ages 15 to 21 and puts them in fake emergency situations in order for them the gain hands-on experience (Gritzinger 26). Even though most teens have attended classes on driving, it seems only the really expensive ones offer this kind of hands-on experience. We’ve all learned about what to do when skidding, but would everyone be able to actually react in the same way in the real situation? If taking a Driver’s Edge class was required for all teens before getting their permit instead of all the classroom hours, the roads would be safer. It is important to know which is the gas and brake, but this simply won’t make any difference when your car is slipping on ice.
Gritzinger, Bob. "Driver Ed vs. Driver's Edge." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 26-7.
In the Auto Week article, Kenneth Zuber writes, “Traditional driver-ed produces kids who can’t drive but think they can because they have “earned” their licenses.” Just because you can fake being a good driver for the test doesn’t mean you are one. An alarmingly large percentage of teens with licenses barely know how to drive. It may be because they did not pay attention when they were being taught or they were taught badly; but what ever the reason, the fact that they were even able to get their license is a frightening concept. Kevin H. wrote, “A lot of teens tend to be more cautious when they are behind the wheel because they haven't been driving as long but the older drivers seem to be more reckless because they have been driving for so long.” This is an interesting idea; but, for me, the adult drives who are reckless are reckless because they never learned the basics, the common sense of driving, as teens. But, their driving education was different than our generations but that same concept of lack of attention in the learning environment still applies.
Ethan G. came up with the idea, “to make the driver's license test so rigorous as to weed out people how are, in fact, not capable of diving to the standard set by the state.” This is already in use in Europe. To get a license in the United Kingdom, you have to be at least seventeen years old (this may be raised to eighteen). The test has three parts: theory, hazard, and perception followed by supervised driving examination. Imagine having to pass all of those instead of multiple choice for your permit and a fifteen minute driving exam for your license. Plus, in the U.K. it cost between 86-97 pounds to even take the tests (that is about $146-$164 in the U.S.). In other countries, it is even more. A more rigorous process won’t stop bad drivers from slipping through the cracks, but it may deter lazy or irresponsible people from trying to get one. Driver’s Ed is a good thing if you utilize it to the best of your abilities, but that does not mean everyone will. You can not force someone to pay attention and learn, no matter how hard you try.
Sorry, I forgot these on my last post.
"Driving license in the United Kingdom." Wikipedia. 11 Oct 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_licence_in_the_United_Kingdom.
Wilson, Kevin A. "Back to School: Teenage Driving." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 18-22.
Courtney brings up a really good point when she says that sometimes driving separate to the same place can be even more dangerous than driving all together. I would much rather have the music blaring and have five friends talk to me all at once than have five different cars on the road speeding like crazy and cutting me off. I really do not think that the laws about limiting the number of people in each car are necessary.
For drivers ed, it is really important to learn the basics before trying to start driving. It is nice to know the rules of things before starting and I feel that this applies to driving. There are some things that are easy enough to pick up on like green for go and red for stop. But, there are some things that you can watch your whole life and then when you get behind the wheel, and have to perform it yourself, realize that you have not been paying attention as well as you thought that you had. That would be an unfortunate experience that could easily be solved with a little bit of learning before hand. I am not saying that I am a big fan of drivers ed or anything, but I would prefer to learn a little bit before hand and at least see what I am in for. As far as learning to actually drive goes, on the road training is incredibly important. Kenneth L. Zuber writes, “The initial introduction to driving should never be done with simulators. Kids need to feel a car’s reaction to their inputs” (22). Teens learning to drive should start off learning the basics behind the wheel, and then take a Driver’s Edge course where they can learn what to do in an emergency situation. When I started to learn to drive I was only allowed to drive in deserted parking lots for a week or two, then in neighborhoods for a week or two, then it kept gradually getting bigger, and now I drive everywhere. I kind of wish that I had taken a Drivers Edge course just for the hands on experience that I could get.
In choir the other day, we were talking about every one driving their own car to an elementary school to perform for the kids. Mr. Andres was cautioning us to drive carefully because people want to change the laws of driving to make it harder for teens to get their licenses. He said that most adults do not believe that they were that bad of drivers when they were teenagers. This is an interesting point. Were they not as bad as we supposedly are? I do not believe that this is the case. Teenagers are going to be reckless, whatever the time period. People just may not think that they are being irresponsible at the time. They all had the same crazy hormones and thoughts and feelings as most teens do now. I’m just saying. Just the other day I was looking at a couple of middle school kids at King Soopers and I kept thinking, “Was I that bad? I don’t remember anyone being THAT bad.” I asked my mom when I got home from the store if I was that immature. She then told me that pretty much all middle school kids are the same. Could this be compared to teen drivers? When people are teenage drivers they kind of have a blocked view of what they really are, just like the middle school kids. I have to wonder if we will be the same way when we are older, thinking that we were not as bad of drivers as the teens are. Maybe we will be the ones trying to extend the one year for a permit to two, or trying to install all kinds of new safety devices to watch our kids.
Wilson, Kevin A. "Back to School: Teenage Driving." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 18-22.
I would like to point out that in my previous post, when describing the ways that the Department of Transportation should better regulate driving, that my hypotheses were all very sarcastic and meant to create a point, not to actually suggest the Department of Transportation do some of these things. The proposed solutions are not very practical in any way, but are the kind of response that might, perhaps, garner some kind of unwanted following and suddenly develop candidacy for address. In order to clarify this, I will attempt to explain how legislation like this might come into play.
If the roads were truly safe, then no one would be allowed to drive.
I believe that the actual problem be alluded to by the Department of Transportation in their article is that teen drivers are a risk that they would rather eliminate than have to deal with. This mentality of complete stereotyping of teenagers and the unwillingness to try to adequately address a problem stems from the bureaucratic nature of government, and their inherent detachment from some social issues. There are no teenage drivers in the Colorado legislature, so why should our opinion be represented amongst the more "well-knowing" and educated officials. Of course, some of the delegates must have children, but the majority, I would assume, have not experienced adolescence for quite some time, and can only remember a time when society put so much emphasis on the car that licensing became standard throughout the nation. This kind of detachment from the issue makes it very hard for the legislature to view a teenager's (our) opinion on say, how ridiculous the passenger laws might be or why we can not drive after a certain time at night. That separation caused by the difference in opinions makes struggling for a good balance even harder. It would be easy for the legislature to, perhaps, make the driving age 18 or 21, and deeply upset a very large number of people, just because they themselves would not be affected by it.
This can also be applied to just about any driver who already has their license. When you read my ideas for "adequately" addressing driving issues, did you agree with the ideas that affected teens who already had their licenses, or the ones that only effected teens who were still yet to acquire a license. Were you, if you already have your license, apt to change things that would make it harder for you to keep your license, or were you only in agreement with policies that effected prospective drivers and not change things for licensed drivers. Were you so biased as to only change something that did not affect you? If so, then you are displaying that primary principle of the legislature to make things harder on the young. And what did we do to diserve this? We simply arrived later than the people making the rules.
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
Citation = ("The Driver's")
(addresses citation for previous post as well)
Lucy H W and Courtney W W both bring up an interesting question: “Were [our parents] not as bad as we supposedly are [at driving]?” After all, they didn’t have all the laws that we do—curfew, amount of passengers that can ride, amount of hours to obtain a license, etc. So because this truth irritated me, it inspired me to look up the answer. The results that I discovered were actually very shocking. According to the CQ (Congressional Quarterly) Researcher, in the late 1970s (about the time our parents began driving), or 1978 to be specific, “The number of teens dying in car crashes peaks at 9,940” a year, compared to the 4,544 teens who died in car accidents in 2005 (“Teen Drivers”). Subsequently, the number of “overall fatalities of teen drivers and passengers [has] decreased substantially” over the years (“Teen Driving”). I found this very surprising, being as nowadays we have more technologies that seem as if they would cause more distractions while driving, making driving more dangerous today. Such technologies would be cell phones, ipods (which can now be hooked up to play in the car), newer features like better stereo systems, televisions, and many more. And also, it seems like we hear about this issue all the time and it seems like there are more attempts to prevent these deaths (although maybe the reason the numbers are lowering is because of such attempts).
But with this information, even though I see Courtney W W’s point of how ridiculous all these laws are for us teens to have to follow, it proves that these laws are in place for a good reason and that they are having at least some kind of effect on saving more and more lives each year. For example, The Driver’s Seat states the fact that “In 2006, nearly 80 percent of teen passengers who died in car crashes in Colorado were riding with teen drivers.” By creating the laws that “No passengers under age 21” can ride in your car “until you've had a license for at least six months” and that “No more than one passenger under age 21” can ride in your car “until you've had a driver's license for at least one year. (Sibling and passengers with medical emergencies are exceptions.)” (“The Driver’s Seat”), the government is actually taking a wise and responsible action. Therefore, no matter how ridiculous, inconvenient, or “no fun” these laws may be for us, we are better off to follow these laws so as to save lives.
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet." cdc.org. 18 July 2008. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Unintentional Injury. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm >.
“Teen Driving.” CQ Researcher. 25 Jan. 2005. 11 Oct. 2008. < http://www.ihscdea.org/documents/teen_driving-v51-1.pdf>.
At first I was totally against the laws that state, no one younger than 21 in the car, seatbelts at all times, permit for six months, and so on, just because they make my life complicated. As much as I hate to admit it, after reading Jackie's post I would have to agree that they are necessary. When the numbers are so drastic, who can argue with them.
Lucy also brings up a good point when she mentions that our parents thought they weren't bad drivers. But, this is a contradictory statement because in my family I know my parents were completely opposite drivers when they were younger. My Dad was the bad driver and he is completely open about it. I can't count the stories my Dad has told about him and his friends trying to figure out a way to make his leap off the pavement while driving on city streets. On the other hand my mom was seriously an old woman driver; she told me she drove 35mph in a 45mph zone just because she was trying to be a safe driver. This is interesting to me now because my mom is the one who thinks the laws the government has made to keep us safe are dumb and shouldn't be in affect and my Dad is the one who makes me abide by them because he thinks they work. So not all parents think that they were good drivers when they weren't, most would probably admit to their idiocracy when they were younger, and they learned from it. It is because of their bad driving and them learning from it that we are safe today.
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
I agree with Ashely L in the fact that parents learned from their mistakes and help us learn from them too while driving. It is their experience coming into play again. And although some may know the traffic laws better as you get older, it becomes "second-hand" as someone said earlier and I think that could be a bad thing. People get too confident with themselves or do something out of habit without even realizing it's wrong. Experienced drivers are just as at risk as new ones. That is why I like the idea of having a test every 10-15 years like several people suggested was in the UK. Even it was a hassle, it would definitely get the reckless drivers off the road. I don't know about anyone else, but thought that is was almost too easy to get your permit/license. I learned the most from my parents and watching others rather than my "read-from-the-textbook-for-three-hours-a-day" oriented class. I did not feel like I gained anything from that (of course, did not take the Master Drive course which I hear is more beneficial). If we were to adopt the policy of the UK, it would definitely make the road a safer place and help to solve the pollution problem at the same time. The UK is hoping to reduce all crashes by 40% by 2010 and the injuries/fatalities are steadily going down. They must pass a Hazard Perception test and a theory test as Annie B said earlier, which presents them with situations with developing hazards and they have to avoid them. This hands on kind of learning, like the Drivers Edge program, is much better than "read out of the textbook and learn how to drive."
The only thing is, with GDL laws in effect, how would all the drivers who did not pass the test get around? If we got rid of these, people could carpool and ride their bikes or whatever. I think that even with the distraction of people in the car, it is good practice because there will ALWAYS be distractions. Who drives alone without messing with the radio or trying to get your sunglasses out of your purse? My instructor that I drove with even had me change the radio stations a few times to demonstrate there will always be distractions and you have to get used to them. The mom with four screaming kids has her distractions as we have ours. I think that having people in the car with music is not reckless-- it is normal.
DirectGov.UK "Learner and New Drivers." 11 October 2008.
Molly G states, “parents learned from their mistakes and help us learn from them too.” While this is partially true, the mistakes they made as teenage drivers don’t always apply to our own driving. For example, my mom grew up in and learned to drive in Lakewood, but the traffic then was nothing like it is today. She graduated from Wheat Ridge High School and their mascot isn’t the farmers because that area has always been of a busy city. When my mom would ride with me as I learned how to drive, she would always say how amazed she was at much she was learning about driving all over again, even since she taught my brother to drive only five years before. Ethan G talked about “policies that effected prospective drivers [that do not] change things for licensed drivers.” Since most parents received their licenses, how many laws have changed that affected their driving? Not many. So if they are still following the laws of when they learned to drive, how are they helping their teens to become better drivers ready for the roads today? This brings up the concept of retesting all drivers every ten to fifteen years. If all drivers, but especially parents in this conversation, were required to prove their own ability to drive on the roads as they are today and learn what they were not aware of as far as what has changed since they learned to drive, then they would be better teachers to new drivers.
At the same time, parents do have the experience that Courtney W talked about missing from teenage drivers as they sit through classes on how to drive. Courtney brought up the topic of having to wait until the entire classroom potion of driver’s education to get your permit. I was close to that cutoff, but the law for me was having completed one session of the course. This seemed to be very beneficial as I took class one, got my permit, started driving, and was able to apply some of the things I learned. Then as I went back for both of the following classes, I was able to relate to some of the situations and concepts discussed and take new ideas out of the class that I could put to use within the next week. I know that I did not hold on to everything I learned in the twenty-four hours of classroom training, but I definitely held on to more than if I would have had to wait at least three weeks to start applying what I was learning. On the other hand, as my brother was learning to drive, he had no time limit for when to complete his classes and was talking all the way through to shortly before he got his actual license at which point he had probably learned a lot of what was being in the class from the personal driving experience he had had throughout that year. So while requiring all class time before getting the permit seems to not be the most beneficial, neither does having no time frame for completing the class.
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Jackie brought up the statistics of when our parents were driving. "Subsequently, the number of “overall fatalities of teen drivers and passengers [has] decreased substantially” over the years (“Teen Driving”)." These numbers did go down but since 2005 they have gone up."3,490 drivers age 15-20 died in car crashes in 2006, up slightly from 2005” (Teen Driving Statistics). Why are these numbers going up even slightly? Is it because we as teenagers are refusing to face the facts and drive safely? I think this is partially it. We think we know the road and our own driving well enough so we just drive how we want with who we want. We have seen the scary videos and the frightening statistics so many times that some have started to ignore them and not take it seriously. Over and over kids sit through the driving classes or assemblies on reckless driving and don’t pay attention. They tune out everything because they think they have already heard it. I can personally say that I have done it. I have sat and dazed off into nowhere and tuned out all the stats and number. Maybe it’s time to start listening again and actually take to heart the stories and the facts because even though they may not affect us directly they can. We should not let them. Why become another number in the books. After all, people are not just telling us these things to scare us; they do it because at one point they or someone they knew became a number.
Since 1995 the number of teen drivers has actually decreased. “Colorado drivers age 19 and younger totaled 150,000 in 2006 compared to 178,000 in 1995” (Teen Driving Statistics). Could this be the reason the number of teen fatalities was reportedly going down; perhaps because the number of teen drivers has gone down? I hear about more and more teens that just aren’t getting their license right away. I am one of those teens. I am almost seventeen and have yet to receive my license (sad, right?). However, I have many friends who this is true for as well. So is the road safer because we are not on it? Or are we safer because we are not on the road? Both of these things could have an effect on why the number of teen fatalities went down. The statistics are interesting and I wonder what the behavior of them will be like when our children are the ones behind the wheel.
Steph O stated, “ When my mom would ride with me as I learned how to drive, she would always say how amazed she was at much she was learning about driving all over again, even since she taught my brother to drive only five years before.” This makes the 10-15 year re-test necessary! This is a great idea so all the drivers out there at least know what the rules are and also to get all of the reckless drivers off the road as someone stated before. This also brings up the question, should parents be the ones teaching the teenagers if they don’t know what the rules are? I think that a 10-15 year re-test would be necessary so parents could give the best driving knowledge possible to their teen. I agree with Molly G when she says, “I don't know about anyone else, but thought that is was almost too easy to get your permit/license.” Most of the things I learned about driving were out of a textbook, and the driving test to get the permit was just remembering the things out of that textbook. But since then, I have forgotten most of the things out of that text book, like which way you are supposed to turn the wheel if you go into a skid. In that situation most teenagers would be freaking out and just slam on the breaks, more hands on learning is necessary.
Also, it should be completely in the hands of the parent to decide when their teen is ready to get his or her license. There are rules in place to let the teen get his or her license when he or she turns sixteen, provided he or she has been through the proper classes and completed the 50 hours. I think parents need to take more advantage of waiting to get the license until they feel their teen is ready. “ When parents express concerns about prospective drivers, and I advise them to hold off the instruction until their kid is ready, many look stunned- as though they have never even considered refusing to cave into pressures for the permit and license.” (Wilson 21). Many parents can be lazy and get their teen through driving classes as soon as possible, regardless if the teen is responsible enough, and feel comfortable behind the wheel. The rules should be guidelines left in the hands of the parent.
Wilson, Kevin A. "Back to School: Teenage Driving." Autoweek 4 Sept. 2006: 18-22.
Citation = (Wilson #)
In the article "Teen on Teen Driving" one teen wrote, "The reason I wrote this article is because I read an article about driving in the August 2008 edition of the 'Reader’s Digest' . . . Speeding increases my fatal crash chance by 35%. Cell phones bring your chance up by 300%. Yikes!" I can relate to this teen, as I read these terrifying statistics.I never really gave it much thought before, because to be honest I didn't know how many teens were dying in accidents each year. I was astonished to know that there are more teens dying in vehicle accidents each year than there have been casualties in the war. Isn't that just shocking?
I can admit to speeding, driving with too many passengers in the car, and talking on my cell phone while driving. It ia almost like a trap that every teenage driver gets sucked into. Why is this so? I think that ignorance is a big part of it. If teens were to know more about the dangers and unfortunate statistics of driving, they might take it a little bit more seriously than they did before. In drivers Ed, kids learn how to drive and the rules and laws they must obide by, but do they really get taught enough about emergency situations and the frightening parts of driving? I don't think they do.
If teen drivers were more aware of the statistics and numbers of deaths they might think twice. I know that I might think a little differently about talking on the phone and glancing over at a friend while driving, now that I know how dangerous it really is. I mean 200,000 teenagers dead a year is not somehting that comes in one ear and out the other. It is pretty important, and I think that the more teens are informed about these statistics the better. Driving needs to be taken a little bit more seriously, thats all.
Callme, Maddy. "Teen on Teen Driving." Blog Critics Magazine. 21 July 2008. 12 October 2008. http://blogcritics.org/achives/2008/07/21/120701.php
I think that we have just barely touched on this point before, but along with Candace, I totally agree that a parent should be in charge of their child getting their license. There should be a minimum age, of course, but it should become more customary for a teen to not get their license right away. A parent knows the maturity level of their child, their ability to make decisions quickly, and if their ready to get their license overall. Cristina said, “I hear about more and more teens that just aren’t getting their license right away. I am one of those teens. I am almost seventeen and have yet to receive my license (sad, right?). However, I have many friends who this is true for as well.” We do hear more about teens getting their licenses later and later, but we also hear about teens that have gotten their licenses right away too. If it became the standard to wait until a teen was ready and mature enough to receive their license, then a lot of problems on the road today would be eliminated.
Cristina brought up a good point when she said that teens are starting to become immune to the statistics of teen drivers. We see them on billboards, hear them in assemblies, read them in magazines, and learn about them in the driving classes that we have had to take. The statistics are EVERYWHERE. Is it that much of a shock that, “In the United States during 2005, 4,544 teens ages 16 to 19 died of injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes”? (“Teen Drivers”) After staring at them nonstop for years the statistics do not have the meaning that people would hope that they would bring to teens. The harsh reality that was meant to shock teens into driving better now does nothing. Maybe it is because teens are not actually listening to what they are being told like Brook suggests, but either way, there needs to be a new system to help bring teens to the reality of their driving so that we do not become “another number in the books”. (Like Cristina said.)
"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet." cdc.org. 18 July 2008. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Unintentional Injury. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm >.
The statistics Jackie S W brings up are very interesting. “The number of teens dying in car crashes peaks at 9,940 a year“, in 2005 it was 4,544 a year (Teen Driving Statistics).
The numbers have gone down. The point Cristina W W brings up is true; how teenagers now are just waiting longer till they get their license. I know many teenagers who do not have their license or how they wait till they are around 18 to get them. The statistics have not improved. They have just evened out with the amount of teen drivers on the road. If one is to compare percents to how many teen drivers are on the road now and have gotten in an accident and then compare it to the amount of teen drivers on the road several years ago and got in an accident, the percentage is about the same. So in a way the government is not making the road safer with all the new rules, but there are not as many teen drivers on the road today.
Another point that caught my eye is how in other countries, like in Europe, the tests to get your license are much more difficult. This does not necessarily mean that the people taking the tests are going to be better drivers than drivers in the U.S. It simply states that in order to get ones license one must know the criteria, rules, and facts. They do not have to drive better on the streets. There is the Autobahns in Europe that states, “This not to say that there is a lower speed limit for traffic. There is no general upper speed limit either, apart from the one that's imposed on you by the car in front.” Another words there is no speed limit, this is found in Germany. This rule makes the roads more dangerous for drivers making drivers in Germany more dangerous as well. Even with the harder driving tests you will still get your good drivers and bad drivers.
I disagree with Candace W W when she states, “Many parents can be lazy and get their teen through driving classes as soon as possible, regardless if the teen is responsible enough, and feel comfortable behind the wheel.” I believe the teen driver should tell the parent if he or she is ready to drive. I know that many teenagers just want their license to go around and be independent but they should be mature enough to judge themselves and tell the truth whether or not they are ready to have the responsibly to have a driving license. It is not the parents responsibility to baby-sit their child, but they can have an impute on the decision.
"Driving on Autobahns in Germany." h2g2. 2006. BBC. 12 Oct 2008 http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A395372.
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Teenagers who will eventually get their licenses should, like Demitra A states, “tell the parent if he or she is ready to drive.” However, many, if not a majority, of teenagers do not care if they are ready or not. Yes, teenagers should own up to the fact if they think they are prepared or not, but will they? Of course not. They will do anything to gain that freedom and have no care in the world if they are not ready to drive or not. Many teenagers do not consider the possibility of crashes and deaths that they could cause if they are not prepared for the dangers that driving brings. I for one am not ready to get my license, though by now I could get it any time. Experience is extremely important when driving. Just last month I witnessed an accident between two vehicles. The two cars collided with each other because of the lack of paying attention to the roads and for not knowing how to react in such a short amount of time. It ended up with the cars smashed and with one flipped over. It could have easily killed both families, and it surprised me that no one was hurt, considering the damage of the cars. The accident made me realize that no one should have their license unless they are absolutely certain that they are ready and not just because they want to drive without an adult.
I agree with Brooke that “if teen drivers were more aware of the statistics and numbers of deaths they might think twice” and I believe that if teenagers learned about the consequences of reckless driving, then they would truly take it to heart and would be much more careful when driving. More than “25 percent of parents polled have a teen who was at the wheel in a car crash” (Hendricks) and most teenagers don’t know how dangerous it can be. Sure, they have heard and seen crashes on the road and T.V., but sometimes it just does not stick unless you’ve seen it up close and personal or if you’ve experienced it. Though both are not what we want to see anymore, maybe it is the key for teenagers to really think about the choices they are making while on the road.
Hendricks, Emily. "Teens and Cars: A Dangerous Mix?." 12 Oct 2008 http://www.lhj.com/lhj/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/lhj/story/data/teendrivingsurveyresults_06172003.xml
Demitra makes a good point about teens voicing their opinion about their willingness to get a license. When I was old enough to get mine I did not because I was terrified that I did not know enough and was going to kill someone. I put it off for a very long time because I was not comfortable with my abilities. But how many teens actually listen to what their gut is telling them? Very few. Many of us will feel pressure from our parents, relatives, and friends and we bend to that pressure; therefore, there are more and more inexperienced drivers with no confidence in their driving. Then there is the problem of the delusional teens who feel like they are ready for a license and are the most amazing driver ever to grace the roads. But in actuality, they can barely ride their bikes without crashing.
But how do we correct this? Driver’s Ed is one option, of course, but there are no promises of retention of the material. Brook W. wrote, “If teen drivers were more aware of the statistics and numbers of deaths they might think twice.” I have found that the one sure-fire way to make people listen is to shock and scare them. Many people may disagree, but wouldn’t you think twice about talking on your cell or having too many people in the car if you saw the actual effects of these choices. Some programs—like the one I took—show students horrific and disturbing photos of car wrapped around telephone poles like a twist tie and two cars T-boned at an intersection with the window glass shattered around them and a pool of blood on the ground. Sickening, right? But it got your attention. Most of those crashes, those deaths, were caused by either distractions, such as cell phones or passengers. Maybe if those teens had been shocked like I was in my driver’s ed class, they would still be alive. We cannot force people to pay attention in driver’s ed and we cannot force them to think of getting a license as one of the biggest decisions of their lives; but we can make them think about what can happen if they do make ill-advised choices by showing them what will happen. Those images tent to stick like glue to people’s minds.
Candace W W stated that “many parents can be lazy and get their teen through driving classes as soon as possible, regardless if the teen is responsible enough, and feel comfortable behind the wheel.” I couldn’t agree with her more. I think this is a major cause of the teen driving issue that seems to be overwhelming the nation. Some parents are too busy, too overwhelmed, too stressed and, to put it bluntly, too irresponsible these days. They have no clue where their teens are half the time, let alone whether or not they are good drivers. I think that this also uncovers a much bigger issue with the world today. Many parents are just handing their kids over to be someone else’s problem. Their parents don’t pay attention to them and they feel like they are invincible, which ultimately causes them to put themselves in danger as well as others. Did you know that over 70% of parents talk with their kids about the dangers of smoking and drugs while only 27% of parents will talk to their kids about the dangers of unsafe driving?(Allstate Insurance) Now that is one thing that needs to change.
Brook also said that the teen driving issues could be blamed on ignorance. While this is true, what other resources can governments provide that aren’t already available? There are thousands of classes available, programs they can enter, and an endless amount of material that they can read. At this point, it is up to teen drivers themselves to take the initiative to learn more about it. Unfortunately, not all kids are going to do this. Not all kids, like Demitra wishes, are going to tell their parents when they are ready. Not all kids will be shocked by the images they see like Annie was. Not all kids are willing to admit that they speed or use the phone while driving like Brook did. The issue now is how to deal with these kids. It’s these kids that are the ones putting so many people at risk. What can we do to get these kids interested in changing their driving habits if they won’t with all the facts and statistics that are right in front of them?
"Teen Driving Parent Research." Allstate Insurance 2008 12 Oct 2008
This is the citation for my previous post. There was problems with the posting.
"Teen Driving Statistics." RMIIA. 28 February 2008. 12 Oct 2007 http://www.rmiia.org/Auto/Teens/Teen_Driving_Statistics.htm
Well the rules for getting ones permit could be achieved by three different ways, "All new drivers under age 18 require a parent/legal guardian's signed Affidavit of Liability to get an instruction permit. 15- year-olds who have completed and passed the classroom portion of a state-approved driver's education course within 6 months of applying for their permit. 15 years and 6 months to 16 years and have completed a 4-hour driver awareness course." The State gives teens a lot of choices to get their permit which is the hardest part in my opinion. To get my permit I had to complete the driving class with 30 hours in the classroom and 6 hours behind the wheel top pass. To get my permit I then had to take a written test, which if you pay attention in class is simple.
Getting the license is much simpler in my book. You take a five minute driving test around the block and you don't even have to take another written test. Just to get your permit. I think that they should give a written test for both the permit and the license because I had forgotten a lot of the answers like how many feet you need to travel before you change lanes or how close you can be to a school bus. If they give you a second test it would greatly increase the amount of fails which would gives kids more incentives to study up on road rules.
"The Drivers Seat." Coloradodrivetime.com. 12 Oct. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportaion. 12 Oct 2008 http://www.coloradodrivetime.com/teen_gdl.cfm
Steph O W and a few others brought up the fact that the driving classes—at least one or more—have to be taken before one can get their permit. This is actually a great point and I’m surprised that it has not thoroughly been discussed yet. When Steph O started to say that she “took class one, got [her] permit, started driving” and “was able to apply some of the things [she] learned,” it made a great deal of sense to me. She mentioned that when she “went back for both of the following classes, [she] was able to relate to some of the situations and concepts discussed and take new ideas out of the class” in order to put them into use when on the roads. The law asserts that one can apply for his or her license at the age of 15 if he or she has “completed and passed the classroom portion of a state-approved driver's education course within 6 months of applying for their permit” (“The Driver’s Seat”). Now, correct me if I am wrong, but if I read this statement correctly, it means that a student has to complete the course before they get their license. So, all of America’s teenagers are sitting in the classrooms learning about all of this information that they have never before experienced hands-on. I can relate personally because I recall that when I sat through all of the rules, I could try to picture or understand what they were explaining, but I was actually just realizing that I had never paid that much attention to my parents’ or anyone else’s driving when I rode in their cars for 15 years. As soon as I got my permit, and even on through getting my license, I had to relearn all the information and rules of the road that they taught us in the driver’s education class. So what I’m trying to say is that by having to take the courses BEFORE we get our permits, it probably impairs the solidity of our knowledge of the rules of the road and of how to drive as a well-informed, more experienced, driver.
A possible solution to this problem could be to have students take at least one class before they get their permit (that way they can get a basis of the rules and be able to pass the test to obtain their permit), and then be required to COMPLETE the classes within three months after they receive their permit, but at least one month after they receive their permit (or somewhere along the lines of that). Even though Steph O W and I, who both went to MasterDrive, were able to get our driver’s permit after one class and then could go on to practice driving before we took the remaining classes, we still we’re REQUIRED to wait to take the remaining classes. This is where I probably made the mistake—by taking the classes too soon after the first one, just so I could get them over with. By making this part of the law, it would give students a chance to have a introduction to what they will be learning, but will also give them an opportunity to get behind the wheel and learn some of the rules through experience on their own (and with their parent or guardian sitting next to them, also enforcing and emphasizing the laws). And then when they return to the class, the teens will have a better understanding and will be able to relate from their own experience, and maybe even have more questions for the instructors, thus solidifying their knowledge and driving skills by being able to learn through experience rather than lecture. So, the government should require this arrangement of taking the classes for all new drivers because then it could make teens better drivers, and thus it would reduce the teen driving death rate.
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
Megan asked a great question, “What can we do to get these kids interested in changing their driving habits if they won’t with all the facts and statistics that are right in front of them?” Maybe we can’t do anything. It is true that there are teens that will continually break the rules, but that is not something that anyone can get rid of. Teens drive unsafe after repeated warnings and after seeing shocking statistics. But teens also drink, smoke, and do drugs after seeing and maybe even experiencing how dangerous they are. Just like every teen that has their license has been through driver’s education classes, almost every teen that drinks or smokes has learned about the dangers of such things. But they still aren’t going to stop. It is very unfortunate that people have to get hurt because of stupid decisions and not listening and believing the rules, but it is simply something we are not going to just get rid of.
The idea of making driver’s pass a retest every 10-15 years has been brought up a few times. Candace states that “this is a great idea so all the drivers out there at least know what the rules are and also to get all of the reckless drivers off the road.” This is a great idea theoretically, but let’s be honest: teens drive very cautiously when being watched by an instructor or parent, so parents are probably going to do just the same. I am guilty myself; I drive slower and turn the music way down when one of my parents is in the car. And almost everyone drives safely during their license test, walks out of the office, gets in their car and drives however they want. Sure, there are a select few who are completely honest and drive the same no mater what, but there are more of us that drive differently when being watched.
I find it a little shocking that in Colorado, anyone 18 or older can just get their license by taking a written test. The Driver’s Seat article says that the youngest and “least experienced drivers are also more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as speeding and tailgating.” There is a difference in maturity between ages 16 and 18, but 18 year olds are still teenagers. This is also shocking because most of the statistics talk about 15-19 year olds, so it really makes me wonder how many of these accidents involve 16 year olds and how many involve older teenagers. We all go to school with people that are 18 and they still make the same crazy decisions as the 16 year olds. From what I have observed from my peers, there is not a very big difference between the 16 year old drivers and the 18 year old drivers. So why can an 18 year old get their license so easily, while 16 year olds have to go through so much more?
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 12 Oct. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
Many bloggers have been commenting about how easy or hard it is to get one's license and how the requirement changes depending on how old you are. I find it irresponsible of the government to so easily categorize teenagers simply by their ages. There is no doubt that occasionally there may be a 13 year old (for instance) who is mature enough and responsible enough to complete the license program and be a fantastic driver with the same training any 16 year old can get. Also, it is safe to say that there are innumerable 18 year olds who are as irresponsible and immature as the "average" 13 year old, and is not emotionally capable of handling the responsibilities associated with a license. It is safe to assume, however, that the 18 year old will always have an easier time of getting a license because they are older and two years difference will always make them that much more ready for the task of diving. It is inconceivable how law-makers can seriously believe that 18 year olds are that much better divers simply because they are 2 years older, and in fact, studies like the one posted in the begging of the blog have hypothesized that many of the 17 year old's accidents are related to over-confidence while driving.
It is also unreasonable that so many fatal car crashes, upwards of one-third (The Driver's), are alcohol related. How can so many minors be in alcohol-related crashes if there are only minors in the vehicle? I find it very unfortunate that so many teenagers believe that alcohol is required in order to "have a good time" and seen absolutely no reason why a minor should really want to consume any alcohol in the first place. There is no reason foor so many teens to be involved with alcohol at such an early age, and it simply reinforces my opinion about how mature a 13 year old could be and how immature an 18 year old could be. Because you just don't hear about the 13 year old who killed 4 of his friends last weekend while driving drunk.
Colorado Department of Transportation "The Driver's Seat" page with the new laws and more
"The Driver's Seat." www.dot.state.co.us. 8 Sept. 2008. Colorado Department of Transportation. 8 Sept. 2008 < www.coloradodrivetime.com/ >.
Citation = ("The Driver's")
Courtney W brings up an interesting point. The (GDL) laws should apply to ALL new drivers, not just teenagers. This would help all drivers gain necessary experience behind the wheel.
But essentially this is myself pointing a finger at the government, the people who make the laws. I’ve noticed within this blog there are many students who are outraged (if not they are mildly annoyed) by the stereotype of the “teen driver.” So many people here are angry that teens are being labeled and blamed for all the driving hazards. So what do we do? We label everything right back. We cast the blame on anything and everything. Some blame the Department of Transportation, some blame alcohol, and others blame their parents. Some even blame old people. . .which is just plain silly since that’s just another age group.
The fact of the matter is that there is no single group to blame for the driving issues. And there is no one group that can change something and create an immediate and perfect solution. No. It all comes down to the individual driver. Each and every time he or she gets into the car (teenager, old person, male, female, or raccoon) he or she must realize the responsibility that comes with driving a car. (GDL) laws or not, this is the only plausible solution to the issues of driving.
There has been much discussion about there being a harder test to receive a license and permit, as Molly G states; "I don't know about anyone else, but thought that is was almost too easy to get your permit/license." I, as well as several others, believe this as true. When I have friends that are going to take their test for a license I always tell them "You will do fine. It's really easy don't worry, just remember to . . . “And this is not just a confidence booster, it really is true. I myself have taken the license test twice (yes, I know, I failed it and should not be talking but that is a completely different story.) However, besides doing one thing wrong on accident, the tests were incredibly easy--make a few right and left turns, merge lanes a few times, return and park. It was really that simple.
However, a problem arose during my second test. After I had done just fine and dandy, acing the test, my instructor mentioned that she hoped that was a good amount of time (it was around seven to eight minutes) because she did not know how much time/practice I needed (to presumably pass or fail). This puzzled me: Do the instructors judge the level of difficulty of the test based on no prior knowledge? Could it be just based on looks?
This method is incredibly unfair and biased: The same difficulty of test should be given to everyone--"the serial speeder" has no specific look or shape--that is why it is so crucial to test everyone the same.
And although you may be thinking her statement grew from my previously failed test, that is incorrect--she had no knowledge that I had failed.
To rid some of the risky and dangerous drivers off the road I think there should be different forms of a standardized test, proven to be rigorous but no impossible. This could include making a left at an intersection; going through city-streets; even getting on the highway and switching lanes. An added bonus could be parallel parking. Even sitting in the back seat could give the driver more of an "alone" experience, showing their true identities of driving.
In addition to driving classes and permits, Jackie S's ideas really embody how classes could be used to their full potential: "A possible solution to this problem could be to have students take at least one class before they get their permit (that way they can get a basis of the rules and be able to pass the test to obtain their permit), and then be required to COMPLETE the classes within three months after they receive their permit, but at least one month after they receive their permit (or somewhere along the lines of that)." I could not agree more with this rule. It is extremely difficult to learn how to drive by listening and reading when one has never even tried entering the highway or parallel parking. Making driving afterwards even more difficult because you still don't know what to do because you had no idea what the instructor was talking about. When I started driving I would ask my mom everything--where do I need to be? What do I do? Help!!-- and she would reply "Didn't you learn anything from those lessons?" In my head I would reply no. By having mandatory classes after obtaining a permit, one would understand more and could even get more drive time in if there was a requirement of hours and experience to proceed to the next course.
Megan b asks, “What can we do to get these kids interested in changing their driving habits if they won’t with all the facts and statistics that are right in front of them?" Honestly, no matter what we put out there or what we show these teens they will continue to do whatever they want. Why? Because we as teens have developed this poor attitude of "oh, that could never happen to me". The truth is until it actually does and they have actually felt, lived and had it tear apart their lives, things will never change for them. Every time we see a documentary or something on the news about another dead teen driver, we look at it and yes, we feel sad and we sometimes change our driving for a week or even a month but these things never seem to leave a lasting effect on us. Why? The only things that actually change us and who we are forever are things that happen directly to us. They are things we can touch and see. As young teenage drivers, we think we are invincible. We think we rule the world and nothing bad can ever happen to us. Can I just say that that kind of attitude is extremely stupid. Most of the teens who died in accidents probably had that attitude and never thought it would happen to them. Well here is a news flash for us all. It happens to anyone and everyone. Just because you think it won’t does NOT mean it won’t. My father has been a police officer for Denver for seventeen years. Throughout those years he has seen many incidents where teens are taken away from an accident scene in horrible conditions. He tells me about how average these kids were. They were no different from me. However, when they got behind the wheel they chose poorly and it cost them their lives and the lives of others. It is shocking to think that my dad has seen the worst of the worst. Maybe that is why he is so adamant about me being a safe driver; because he had to see the teenagers that lost their lives. He had to feel the pain of those parents who got a phone call from the department. He has to experience that pain of others stupid choices personally. So how do we make teens listen? The truth is we can’t. We already know all that they are teaching us. We just choose to ignore it. Does it really take someone we know or ourselves getting seriously injured or killed for things to change? Unfortunately, in many cases this seems to be what happens? But what if it’s too late? What do you do then? Because often times accidents don’t always give us second chances.
One reason I believe we touched on just a little bit earlier is that alcohol is a major factor in the crashes of teen drivers. It is not simply just the inexperience or misjudgement that causes crashes, 60% of all teen crashes are alcohol-related.
One in ten drivers on any given weekend has been drinking. And most of the deaths that occur are in the age group of 15-24 years old. Yaerd's Teen Drinking and Driving Facts state, "Young drivers are inexperienced not only in driving but in drinking and in combining the two activities. In 1994, almost 7,800 persons ages 16 through 20 were drivers in fatal motor vehicle crashes. Twenty-three percent of these drivers, for whom drinking any quantity of alcohol is illegal, had BAC's of 0.01 percent or higher, compared with 26 percent of drivers age 21 and older." Maybe the laws that need to change are the ones about alcohol conumption rather than the restricted driving laws tightening.
Also, I do think that many teens may get their license simply because it is time to-- they are sixteen or got their fifty hours or whatever reason, they get it even if they are not ready. The driver is the most important person in the car and you matter most. Not the rest of your friends who want to get rides from you. Parents and teens together should take a little more consideration before simply performing another right of passage for a sixteen year old.
Yaerd-Teen Drinking and Driving Facts. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
Teenage Drunk Driving. 9 October 2008.
--The thing won't let me use my links so I hope this is enough information. Sorry.
It is interesting that Molly refers to acquiring a driver's license as a "right of passage." She says, "Also, I do think that many teens may get their license simply because it is time to. . .Parents and teens together should take a little more consideration before simply performing another right of passage for a sixteen year old."
I whole-heartedly agree with this statement.
A part of growing up is getting your driver's license. It is just something that is important and people must eventually do it. But some people get a license just to get one. The neccessity is not that you have a license, but that you can drive well. It is an important skill.
Also, Molly points out that "the laws that need to change are the ones about alcohol conumption rather than the restricted driving laws tightening." I stand by my previous opinion on this. It is not the driving laws, or any laws in fact, that need to be changed. It is the individual driver who must choose to drive safely, who must choose to follow the laws we already have. We can NOT continue to toss this responsibility onto the shoulders of society. The individual driver makes all the difference.
It seems apparent that drinking is a large factor for teen drivers.The facts show that 24% of fatalitys in 2005 had drivers that had A Blood Alchohal Concentration of .08 or higher (Department of Health and Human Services) But this also seems to be just one small part of the equation.It also has to be taken into account that these drivers are obviously inexperienced and when combined with alchohal this can cause a chain reaction.When someone drinks they do things like not wearing a seat belt and also speeding, this combination can be easily deadly.Since half of all teen deaths were late at night and on weekends the driver was most likely either under the influence or was riding with another person that was under the influence.
Although drinking can be extremely dangerous we should also look at another factor associated with but also independant of drinking, driving late at night.Truck drivers that have driven 20 years can easily fall asleep at the wheel.This seems to me a dangerous thing, because when driving at night it is much more likely an accident can occur because half of all fatalitys do,it lowers reaction speed, concentration,and patience.In conjuction with being inexperienced for a teen driver this factor can be extremely fatal.
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