Real Experience for Real Teen Drivers
Real Experience for Real Teen Drivers
Real Experience for Real Teen Drivers
Young drivers lack experience in driving situations that will occur outside of the mandatory, cookie cutter training they complete during the time of holding their learners driving licenses. The lack of inexperience plays a major role in teen car accident fatalities and injuries. Whitelegg (1987) has shown “The United States alone is in running of about 50,000 deaths a year from teen-driving fatalities. In terms of years of life lost, road traffic accidents are the major exterminator of unexpired years” (p.161-176.) This evidence is enough to question what steps should be taken, in addition the procedures that already in place, to help prevent such fatalities with young drivers today.
Both parents and The Department of Driver Services are proactive by acting to insure new license holders are prepared for the responsibilities that come with driving a vehicle. Parents sign their children up for different types of driving courses where the students are taught the basics of how to operate a vehicle, when to use different signals, and the laws of the road. The Department of Driver Services enforces the same standards as most driving courses, in addition to a hand written test on driving procedures and requiring new drivers to have a certain amount of hours recorded driving in both daylight and at night. Most states also have laws regarding age limits for driving and talking on the phone and no texting and driving laws for all ages. Though these standards and laws are a positive beginning for any new driver, they simply do not provide the driver with the real world experience he will face while driving alone. Teen drivers can and will be taught the rules and laws that go with driving; however, teens cannot always be monitored while driving vehicles alone and will not always follow the regulations that have the taught. This requires additional training to encourage new drivers to abide
Real Experience for Real Teen Drivers
Young drivers lack experience in driving situations that will occur outside of the mandatory, cookie cutter training they complete during the time of holding their learners driving licenses. The lack of inexperience plays a major role in teen car accident fatalities and injuries. Whitelegg (1987) has shown “The United States alone is in running of about 50,000 deaths a year from teen-driving fatalities. In terms of years of life lost, road traffic accidents are the major exterminator of unexpired years” (p.161-176.) This evidence is enough to question what steps should be taken, in addition the procedures that already in place, to help prevent such fatalities with young drivers today.
Both parents and The Department of Driver Services are proactive by acting to insure new license holders are prepared for the responsibilities that come with driving a vehicle. Parents sign their children up for different types of driving courses where the students are taught the basics of how to operate a vehicle, when to use different signals, and the laws of the road. The Department of Driver Services enforces the same standards as most driving courses, in addition to a hand written test on driving procedures and requiring new drivers to have a certain amount of hours recorded driving in both daylight and at night. Most states also have laws regarding age limits for driving and talking on the phone and no texting and driving laws for all ages. Though these standards and laws are a positive beginning for any new driver, they simply do not provide the driver with the real world experience he will face while driving alone. Teen drivers can and will be taught the rules and laws that go with driving; however, teens cannot always be monitored while driving vehicles alone and will not always follow the regulations that have the taught. This requires additional training to encourage new drivers to abide