PreferredConsumer.com | Don't Just Buy. Know.

Danger In The Driver's Seat

Author: Teresa Brouwer

Published on: March 21, 2004

As parents, there are so many issues that worry us about our kids: sex, drugs, alcohol, and dating. But nothing prepares us for when our child goes behind the wheel. In some states, children are getting their permit as young as fourteen years old.

In the state of New York, a teen must be at least sixteen years old to get a learner’s permit. In South Carolina, a teen must be at least fifteen years old and in Alaska, a teen can be as young as fourteen years old. To find out your state’s law go to www.iihs.org.

We teach our children about self-control, but when a person is behind the wheel it gives a feeling of control, and this type of control with a vulnerable teenager is a recipe for disaster.

In our society we are faced with road rage, drinking and driving, and inexperienced drivers. Our streets of life are turning into the streets of death. As an adult, I am sometimes afraid to enter a highway. If you drive too slowly, people pass you with such rage; if you are going the speed limit, people will swerve out of anger and possibly hit another car.

There are times when people may have an argument with someone and storm out of their homes and jump into their cars. They bring this anger with them behind the wheel.

I knew this young man who was killed in a car accident. A woman was drinking and had an argument with her husband. Filled with anger, she went into her car and drove down a highway. She committed suicide by purposely driving into this guy’s car, hitting him head on. They both died.

If an adult cannot take control of his/her emotions behind the wheel, what makes us think that a teen can?

Teenagers have the tendency to think that driving is so cool. They will load up the car with too many passengers, play their music way too loud, and even light a cigarette while driving. They compare their sound systems and even compare the rims on their cars.

The legal age to drink is twenty-one years old. Does this mean that a teen under the age of twenty-one doesn’t drink? What about prom night? In all honesty, I think that a lot of teens do drink under the age of twenty-one. Not only are these teens inexperienced drivers, they are now drinking and driving.

Although there are responsible teens in our society, according to the Department of Transportation, 3,827 drivers among 15 to 20 years old died in car crashes in the year 2002. This age group has the highest rate of fatal crashes compared to other age groups, including the elderly. http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insur...

So, what do we do to protect our kids? Do we teach them defensive driving? Do we put them behind the wheel as young as twelve years old on a dirt road? As a parent and an individual, I personally feel that we not only have to teach our kids about defensive driving, but also teach them about anger management. We have to make them realize that although cars are classy, cool, and hot looking, this one materialistic piece of machinery is not to be toyed with.

Below is a list of articles and links about teenage driving:

Teenage Driving – A persuasive essay for imposing tougher restrictions on teen drivers http://www.cheathouse.com/essay/essay_vi...

Teen Drinking and Driving remains a threat http://www.ncadd.com/05212001.cfm

MADD http://www.madd.org

The Passing of the Keys by Sara Jamison http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/teen...

Keep Graduation Safe by Peggy Hoehne http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/hous...