Teens Behind the Wheel
By Jennifer Angellatta-Moore
It seems like every day we hear about another automobile accident involving teenagers. It is always a tragedy to lose a young person during the time in their life when they should be planning their futures.
I have heard many people’s opinions about the inexperience of the drivers contributing to them not knowing how to handle their vehicles. Some people say that the driving age needs to be raised, or driver’s education needs to be expanded. These are all good ideas; I mean anything that will possibly keep our kids safe is worth a try, but I do not think that is the answer.
Teen drivers are not a new thing. When I was 16, many of my friends had their licenses, much like my older sister’s friends in the early 80s. These drivers from 10 and 20 years ago were just as inexperienced as these kids today, they drove to and from school and to parties on the weekend, but were not dying in accidents in record numbers like this year. So, who is to blame for the fatalities? The fault is not primarily the driver’s education system, but what we have allowed our young people to become.
If you spend any time around teenagers, it doesn’t take long to see that even the most sincere, honor student has a different attitude from the previous generations. I call it an “entitlement attitude.” Most of the teens today expect to get anything they want, and it’s not just the rich kids either. This attitude can be seen in the upper class kids that get new sports cars for their birthdays as well as in 14 year old girls that have their parents step in and raise their babies. Parents either are too busy, have no interest, or are afraid of government interference to discipline their children. The schools are overcrowded, so teachers no longer have control of their classrooms. If teens do break the rules at home or school, they know that their punishment (if any) will be minimal. This attitude can be irritating at the dinner table, or distracting at school, but downright deadly in a motor vehicle on an open road.
Today’s teenagers scoff at most rules, and included in those are speed limits, traffic signs and the law that says not to drive if you have been drinking. I don’t want to villianize the victim, because I know that they were special children that were loved by their families and friends, but you can’t ignore the facts. The saddest part of the story is that ninety-nine percent of the teenage traffic
fatalities this year were caused by drivers that ignored basic driving laws. Most of the drivers had been drinking, speeding, or racing. Saying that they were inexperienced is just an excuse. We have to stop making excuses for our children and make them accountable for their own mistakes.
Can this stop the tragedies? I don’t know. All I know is that enforcement of the rules need to start somewhere. We need to start telling our children “no” and stop letting them get their way all the time. The school system cannot teach our children everything, we can’t trust our children’s lives to the school system any longer. We have to stop passing blame and start accepting responsibility for our own kids. Your child’s life may depend on it one day.
