As teenagers shift into a new chapter of life, possessing a driver’s license provides a preview into adulthood. While a driver’s license showcases huge responsibility, it also poses immense risk to teenagers. Consequently, teen vehicle crashes occur twice as frequently as adult accidents. Factors contributing to this statistic include blind spots, tailgating and an experienced driver’s influence on new learners.
“Some of my biggest struggles when learning how to drive were blind spots. It’s just such a hassle to try and switch over to another lane without trying to bother another driver. I always felt like I was a burden on the road when going super slow and checking my mirror multiple times,” senior Lagan Saroch said.
Blind spots change awareness to visibility at the hind sides of the car. This weakness primarily affects new drivers as they develop driving awareness, defined by acknowledging where to look. These issues also apply to experienced drivers — although as they grow to learn their blind spots, they tend to double-check their mirrors before switching into new lanes. All drivers, regardless of their experience, should check twice before switching lanes and changing course.
Tailgating, defined by a driver who follows another far too closely, negatively impacts new drivers as they usually drive the exact speed limit, compared to the riskier driving of those with experience. Experienced drivers find this decision displeasing, which commonly leads to them following too closely to initiate increased speeds. Choices such as these result in accidents, causing devastation among the victims’ families. Inexperienced drivers should remain calm despite intimidation and change course to move out of the other driver’s way.
Parental influence additionally affects learning drivers, posing either a positive or a negative influence. A positive influence is embodied when an experienced driver advises their younger counterpart well. A guide’s ability can affect a driver negatively because a parent’s poor habits they developed over time, can transfer to the child. A parent’s presence in the car also leads to intense anxiety due to intense judgment, pressure to perform and parental disappointment.
“My biggest influence was my dad. He’s a driving instructor, so he kind of got me a few steps ahead of people. He basically taught me defensive driving — like changing following distances, paying attention to the vehicles next to me, scanning the road for potential hazards, etc. Getting that prior knowledge really benefited me a lot,” senior Brandon Bruce said.
A parent’s presence plays a crucial role in teaching teens to drive, so parents should exemplify quality habits in front of their students. For example, experienced drivers develop poor habits over time, such as phone use while driving, but those new to the skill cannot afford to take on these tendencies. Numerous drivers take a risky chance by glancing down to check notifications on their phone or to adjust the radio, resulting in fatal consequences.
Teens need to venture out and practice on busy intersections in order to learn and prepare to drive alone. Expectedly, inexperienced drivers experience common mistakes. These consist of understanding blind spots, enduring the pressure of tailgating and the negative influence of experienced drivers.
“Some of my biggest struggles when learning how to drive were my parents being in the car and them seeing the blind spots I could not see. As a result, it caused my parents to panic at me and then caused me to panic, which would then result in me messing up even more. That was one of my biggest challenges I had to encounter,” senior Ariel Dennis said.
Ultimately, experienced drivers started as inexperienced drivers as well. Research demonstrates that after five years of receiving their licence, drivers become experienced and confident. With practice and tremendous amounts of patience, these skills set a path for success that new drivers can achieve in the future.
