Most teenagers can’t wait to drive their first car! The thrill of the open road and finally going wherever they please is an exciting moment. Driving your first car is seen as a rite of passage in American culture, and it’s a teenager’s first real taste of responsibility. While every teenager should enjoy this moment, many tragically lose their lives to utterly avoidable car accidents.
Teenagers who are either unaware of their dangerous actions or don’t care are extremely dangerous. You never hope that your teenager will require the help of a West Palm Beach car accident lawyer , but you can never predict or control the actions of a teenager. The only thing you can do is inform a teenager about the consequences of their actions.
For this reason, the following are common causes of many teen car accidents. Sadly many of these accidents are easily avoidable and were the result of careless teenagers believing they were invincible. This list won’t convince every teen to change their dangerous driving habits, but if at least one teen can drive more safely because of this list, then its a success.
Distracted Driving
Teenagers have an unhealthy addiction to their cellphones. Do you want to send your teenager into a manic state randomly? Take your teenager’s phone away from them and claim that you can’t find it. The amount of anxiety and paranoia that will overcome your teen will be hilariously and disturbing at the same time.
Unfortunately, their addiction to their cellular devices isn’t as funny while they’re behind the wheel of a car. Constant notification from their friends and family is too much temptation for a developing mind to resist. Dozens upon dozens of teen car accidents are the result of teenage drivers checking their cellphones while on the roadway.
If cell phone use isn’t the culprit, then configuring with a GPS, eating food, or getting distracted by their surroundings is equally as responsible for many teen car accidents. Ultimately, short attention spans are to blame, along with the lack of seriousness given to the act of driving by many teens.
Driving While Under The Influence
Drugs and alcohol have always been a destructive force for teenagers across many decades. The need to feel “cool” and fit in is a powerful influencer for teenagers who are continually
attempting to form an identity. So as you can imagine, many teenagers find themselves in situations where they’re drinking and driving with their friends because they want to belong to a specific social group.
Besides the apparent flaws associated with the ideology above, driving while under the influence is perhaps one of the worst and reckless actions a teenager can make. Not only are teens far less experienced at driving itself, but combining alcohol with their inexperience is just a recipe for disaster.
Even drivers with years of experience are useless while driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and teenagers fare much worse. Although countless programs are in place showing teens why they shouldn’t drink and drive, teens still make this tragic and moronic decision.
