Erika loved social media and texting friends on her new iPhone 6. She recently received her license, and she sent messages from behind the wheel frequently. One afternoon, Erika and her friends piled into the car after school and headed to basketball practice. As “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift blasted through the car stereo system, Erika sent a message to her boyfriend with the words “Almost there lol.” The girls drifted through a red light and rear ended a pickup truck. Luckily, no one was hurt, but Erika learned a valuable lesson in safe driving. In order for teens to become responsible drivers, they must understand the importance of traffic laws, be aware of driving dangers, and implement safety practices acquired from role models.
Vehicle…show more content… As the last bell rings, teen’s car pool and race to after school activities (Hollister 60). The hours directly after school are the most dangerous due to distractions and the possibility of freedom (60). Friends and siblings alike increase the risk of a distracted driver; sometimes, siblings can cause more of a distraction depending on the situation. Newly licensed drivers who have passengers other than a responsible adult in the car have higher crash rates, which continues to be proven and documented in numerous studies (62). Kate Zernike, author of “Unsafe Behind the Wheel?” mentioned that a main reason for the above average crash results is multitasking. Focusing on more than one task is difficult for unexperienced drivers who become more concerned with a conversation, the song on the radio, or a cell phone buzzing than the road in front of them. In fact, the crash rate increases 44 percent with one teen passenger (Zernike). To summarize, crash rates for teens while transporting minors remain an unchanging percentage as teens, as well as parents, continue to ignore laws against passengers (Hollister 59). Passengers may seem like an unavoidable evil, but the risk of injury and death skyrockets with friends in the vehicle. To conclude, having reliable friends that are a positive influence and choosing to make safe decisions is
