My first driving lesson consisted of misunderstandings and inches. Within the first few minutes of being behind the wheel, I thought I was very comfortable with the size, length, and direction my car was headed. Here’s where the misunderstanding took place; I was happy to finally be driving and experiencing an adult moment, but I was totally shut down by my mother who wouldn’t let me touch the gas pedal, reducing the speed limit to inches per hour. Although I didn’t realize it, my mother was accurate in her instruction to slowly navigate our neighborhood street that was cluttered with parked cars. As a result of my lack of experience, I could not successfully accelerate and dodge other vehicles at the same time without experiencing whiplash from the car jerking as I liked to stomp on the brake. I realized I had no idea where the corners of the car were and was not ready to drive 40mph on the busy street with moving objects. A common characteristic of teenage driving is lack of …show more content…
For example, my experience in the Driver’s Education program only required me to drive with an instructor six times. These drives were spread across a six-week time span. After receiving my license, I drove a minimum of 10 times per week: five mornings to school, and five afternoons home. A solution to gaining more experience before licensure would be to increase the duration of the driver’s education program to a year. The flaw in the driver’s education program is that the course spans for only one season. The class can be taken in the fall, winter, summer, or spring. In other words, the student in the course only receives practice during that specific season. An increase in duration would allow for practice in the different weather conditions each season
Statistics show 16- to 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger, which is due to distracted driving. Taking your eyes off the road for 2 (two) seconds, at 60 mph, means you have driven blindly for half the length of a football field. The risk of fatality is 3.6 times higher, when they are driving with passengers than when alone. For many years, the correlation between driving behavior and age has interested highway safety researchers and administrators. It is general knowledge that the greatest risk of motor vehicle crash...
Loss of motor skills is common among people when they get older, which increases dramatically after age 65. Motor skills are functions that involve the precise movement of muscles in order to perform a certain task. In a psychology study where 24 young adults were tested against 24 senior citizens, the evidence suggested that in addition to general slowing, the elderly have troubles with motor skills because they execute movement sequences as a series of individual movements and not as a combined pattern. When people execute individual movements, it makes it harder to multi-task which is a necessity while driving on the road. Having to control brakes, gas, steering, lane changes, turning, head checks, and many other assortment of tasks while driving, takes a toll on elderly people with diminishing motor skills. Another major contributing factor to deterioration of motor skills is change in cognitive function. One basic cognitive function that is severely...
After obtaining my driver's license at the age of eighteen, I quickly began to believe that I was the reincarnate of Dale Earnhardt. No matter where I was driving to or for what reason, speeding was always a part of the equation. Young and uninformed of the risks associated with my reckless driving habits, I had convinced myself that I was not only invincible, but above the law as well. After receiving a speeding ticket and other traffic citations as the result of an accident, I was forced to re-evaluate my belief that I had no obligation to follow the law and in turn the notion of my invincibility. After much reflection and and soul searching, I came to the conclusion that life, like driving, is a gift that is very fragile and should not be regarded as irresponsibly as I had been treating it by driving so recklessly.
Car crashes have been and are the number one cause of death for teens. (1) Many feel that the development of their brain is not advanced enough to handle driving. Impulse control is the last thing to develop in the teen brain and doesn’t reach maturity until their early 20’s. Irresponsibility is also a problem with teens. The CDC states that teens are more likely to drive too fast, get distracted and underestimate hazards. This is especially true of males. (1) Each year, more than 5000 teenagers die in motor vehicle accidents. The rate of motor vehicle accidents, both nonfatal and fatal for 16 year olds is almost 10 times higher then drivers 30 to 59 according to the National Highway Safety Administration.(3)
Today’s society appears to be constantly on the go. People seem to be pulled in multiple directions at once. Individuals never appear to have enough time to complete tasks that continually accumulate. It can be difficult to criticize someone that tries to make the most out every minute. Unfortunately, some of today’s drivers show a lack of judgment and trying to perform other tasks, while behind the wheel. People may feel this is best use time while getting to a destination. Occasionally, the small amount of time that people are trying to gain results in a time consuming accident. With modern conveniences that are geared toward an on the go public, individuals appear to be too preoccupied to driving safely.
Teens need to be taught that driving is a task that is complex and demanding. Parents know how much experience a young driver has, and they know exactly how inconvenient it is when they have to drive with their teen everywhere while they have their permit. Teens tend to cause most traffic accidents in adults’ eyes. They are not experienced yet, and often fail to pay attention to others on the road. They often think of a car as being some type of toy, but they do not know how powerful it really is. The driver education programs must be strengthened in order to make sure that students really have safer habits, behind the wheel experience, and by having a better understanding of all the laws on the road.
Driving is a freeing and exciting aspect of turning sixteen. The day I got my license, the car ride home was about the longest drive I had ever taken. Then the moment we got home, I hopped into the driver’s seat of my mom’s beaten up ruby red pathfinder and sped away. Of course, I was only allowed to go to the starbucks around the corner. That moment though, I will never forget. And driving is still one of my favorite things to do. It’s so freeing, having the ability to simply hop in your vehicle, turn the key as it hums to a start, and drive away. The feeling of driving down a long road on a cloudy fall day with the windows down and my favorite music blaring is something that can’t be beat. The thing is, though, that
According to the book, Not So Fast, mentions key details about how the development of a teenage brain is affected while driving on the road. Teenagers tend to not think twice about what their next move is because all they have in mind is to make it before the traffic light turns red. While teenagers are still developing, Tim states,”...The human brain does not fully develop until we reach our early or mid-twenties, and the last part of the brain to mature is the prefrontal cortex, the part that provides judgement and restraint and counterbalances the already developed part that creates desire, excitement, and risk-taking” (Hollister 14). Basically, teenagers are more capable of not thinking about the safety around their environment as long as they get from point A to point B. Some people might say that having a passenger can help reduce the chances of getting into an accident by guiding them. That may be a suggestion; however, Tim does point out that, “...Driving requires the continuous evaluation of hundreds of ever-changing factors and
My car slows as it approaches a stoplight. I take this opportunity to allow my mind to become engulfed with my surroundings: the bright fierce red of the traffic light, the brilliant blue sky with its specs clouds, and the mass of hurried people. The four corners of the intersection are filled with people who are preoccupied with their fast-paced lives to notice the little things, such as animals and anxious cars awaiting the traffic light. My thoughts vigorously put all of the information that my mind has gathered from the intersection to order.
As I walked out of Cazares Driving school, I looked at my mom in disappointment and embarrassment. I never wanted to return to that awful place. All I wanted to do was curl up in a little ball and I didn't want anyone else to know what I had done. I didn't even want to hear what my mom had to say. As I entered the car I could feel my face burning like hell surely enough it was red like an apple. I was trying to hide my face in the palms of my hands as I imagined all the remarks my mom and brothers had to make. "Darling how could we have miscalculated six months?"
The day started off like any average day, I took a hot shower, got dressed and got prepared for the day. It wasn’t until I sat down and started eating my bowl full of cheerios with extra sugar, that I realized what was actually happening. Today would be the day I finally bought my first car, after a year of hard work and conservative economic decisions.
I hopped in the driver’s seat of my husband big truck and begin to get very anxious. My mind went blank. I all of a sudden forgot which pedal was to brake and which one was for the gas. I had to pull myself together because I was determined to learn how to drive. I put the car into drive and both my hands on the steering wheel. Before I can do anything my husband yelled “Stop, and put your seat belt on!” I started laughing and buckled my seat belt. I put the car into drive, put my foot on the gas, and the truck jerked and sped off. I panicked and put my foot on the brake pedal and the trucked jerked and stopped. I jumped out the car. I no longer wanted to drive. My husband calmed me down and told me it was ok and try again. I got back in the car and said a quick prayer. “Lord please give me the strength and courage to learn how to drive this truck!” I put the car in drive and the car began to move. I felt the I was swerving in and out of the lane and that’s when my husband said that I needed to keep the wheel straight until I’m about to turn. After about ten times of driving straight and turning I started to get the hang of it. I was excited! I was actually driving!
“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers” -Dave Barry, comedian. The number of accidents over the last ten years have drastically increased, drivers are paying less attention to the road itself. Many individuals behind the wheel of a car believe that their driving does not affect the road conditions, however it always will. The driving habits of today are catastrophic due to the reasoning that the driving will affect other lives through reckless or distracted driving, and disobeying traffic laws.
My experience with learning to drive started in middle school where kids were too young to enroll in driving classes. My parents were a busy pair and I was an athlete who was determined to do my best for my team. This of course meant I was required to train with my team to build a chemistry with them. I drove myself to
“Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time,” said by Steven Wright. Teenagers look forward to their sixteenth birthday so they are able to drive. Everyone has felt that feeling where they can hardly wait to get behind the wheel and start driving. Little do people know teen drivers are more likely to die from a car accident than from a homicide, suicide, or cancer combined (Littlefield). They are mostly inexperienced with the road and how to handle distractions. If the age were moved to eighteen teenagers would have more driving experience (Sostarecz). Teenage drivers are extremely eager to drive because of freedom, but they are not aware of the distractions and peer pressure on the road; their experience of driving is not as well as others and statistics show how many deaths are caused due to teenage driving.