Dangerous Teenage Drivers
The car has always been an important part of American culture, especially of youth culture. America is a big country with many cities that do not have good public transportation systems, so the car has become a necessity (something you must have) for most American families. Among teenagers and young adults, having a car is a sign of independence and freedom. In most states, you can get a driver license (legal permission to drive a car) at the age of 16, which means that many high school students drive and, if their parents are wealthy (rich), have their own cars in high school and college.
But there’s a price to pay (a cost, something that you must give up) for having so many teenage drivers in the United States. Teenagers are among the most dangerous drivers in the country, perhaps because they are inexperienced at driving, perhaps because they are not yet as mature as other older drivers. Most statistics show that teenage drivers have many more accidents and cause many more deaths than drivers who are older.
Some states have tried to solve this problem by placing restrictions (rules on things you cannot do) on teenage drivers. For example, here in California, teenage drivers cannot drive between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the first 12 months they have a license. In part this is because many accidents are caused late at night, during these hours. Also, teenage drivers cannot have another teenage passenger (someone who is riding in the car but not driving) during the first 12 months of their license unless there is someone over 25 in the car . This means that a group of teenagers cannot go out on a Friday night driving unless there is an adult over 25 in the car with them.
Teenagers, of course, are not very happy about this law. But most adults here in California are very happy that the government is doing something to stop teen drivers from causing so many accidents and deaths, including their own.
~Jeff
November 13th, 2008 at 1:19 am
There should be more information about these “most statistics” in the blog, Jeff. Thanks…
November 13th, 2008 at 2:05 am
im from india i wish even india would give licence at the age 16 anyway i find all your podcasts specially blog very fascinating it heps me improve my language proficiency even faster and i wish you all the best to release more podcasts and blogs in the future
November 13th, 2008 at 6:07 am
I think the law in California is good, but I wonder if it’s really works.
I’ve learned from news articles and re-recognized by reading the blog Jeff wrote that many cities in the US do not have good public transportation systems.
I know there’s Amtrak, which I’ve heard is almost unreliable in its train schedule.
So definitely, American people do need cars much more than I think.
And I understand why every teenager regards a car as a sign of independence and how they feel driving cars in the midnight hour.
They may have a tendency to drive very recklessly and dangerously, but I think that’s the youth.
Sometimes they may go wild, but they can’t resist themselves from doing that.
And I think they gradually realize what they have done and go live a good life.
More dangerous, I think, are the who spend their youth very calmly and obediently and go wild in their later life.
That’s hard to deal with.
Anyway, the number of car accidents and deaths might be decreased in the near future if all cars run in the air as in some SF films.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:57 am
In my opinion, to have a car without having to pay for it is not such a good idea for the parents towards their children. Driving includes some sort of responsibility, and being a teenager doesn’t help. In fact, sometimes are opposite ends. I’m wondering how big are the charges from insurance companies with this kind of users. Here in Spain, is not very difficult to buy a second hand car. To get the insurance, however, is another question.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:32 am
If we look life with a perspective of time, we realise that the human when it’s mature is cleverer than it’s young.
I’m fifty-five years old, hence, I think so, now I can see life of diferent way that I saw it when I’m teenager, or maybe younger. Therefore, I’m sure, that this way is a better way. I think that that is normal.
Nowadays, I can see the same things of diferent way, and my point of view has changed totaly, hence, my opinion is also different (even at some things is very different) in many aspects of life, than when I was younger.
I remember when I was eighteen (in the year 1971) I drove my father’s old and small car on a national road with just two lane (one lane to go and the other one to come back) during five hours at maximum speed with four passengers plus I. Now, I think that I was crazy, and I was a reckless driver. Thanks goodness today we are alive, because God gave me one second that it was able to save our lives. The big problem is, that at this age, I didn’t see any danger in my action, so I always was driving at high speed.
Last but not least, I confess that when I was teenager I did too many things that now I would never want to do again and I regret have done it. That’s why, I think that those mesures the government are trying to put at teenage drivers are a very good idea, but I’m sure that teenage drivers never will understand why.
Greetings.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I do not know what to say about this matter, because teenagers feel so different than adults that what can we say to them?. Young people don’t feel death, they are less
precaver than adults about nearly everything. They are more generous than us even with their own lifes, so is so easy to carry them everywhere even to war. It happened
always along all times.
So, how can we ask them to be happy about that law?.
Of course, may be it is neccesary to prevent so many accidents and deaths, but I think that what is really neccesary is to have better public transportations system and
that citizens ask for them everywhere.
It is unreal to ask a person of 16 years old to be prudent, and as this is really imposible I forbid, forbid, forbid and forbid when is actually society fault not teenagers behaviour so natural in these ages.
No, less laws and more public transportations, or better solutions.
Less speechs and more bread, this is and old sentence similar to former one.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
in China, can get the license after 18. currently most of teenagers can not afford the car cost including their parents. actually within 2-3 years, most young people buy a car after they work to earn money.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I agree with the restrictions for teen drivers. Perhaps they are so young that they don’t ponder deeply. The government need to tackle the accidents which may cause injuries and even mortality. It is not convenient for teenagers, but it is just good for society and families.
November 16th, 2008 at 6:07 am
HELLO everybody!! I am happy for this website! I have learnt so much ever since I found it , I would like to make a request… I would love to listen to more HEALTH/MEDICINE podcasts especially dialogues between doctor and patient… I am going to take an english speaking exam about it!!!! please help me out with this!!! Thanks from Colombia
November 16th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I also agree with the restriction on the teenager driving. In China, the age of driving car is 18 for c-class license, 21 for b-class license. Generally, the process percentage of own car is much low in China. only for recent years, the car gradually come into chinese family. But at present, the training period for new driver is just one month, then they can get the license. They don’t acquire so much experience and drill. It produce a lot of problems for traffic. Mortality is high, accident also rise. So it is good for counting the driving distance for new driver to certain length, then going to the road. This is beneficial to new driver.
November 18th, 2008 at 2:51 am
As I have not car now I am not very informed about driving restrictions here in my country, but some years ago when a new driver got his/her license to drive after a hard
exam and a lot of money paying driving classes for a long period of time, for them there were forbiden to go speeder than 80 km (or 90 km) along the first year driving.
There was also obliged to carry and advise in the rear of ther car showing this circunstace, that they were new drivers, and police may give them a note if do not compliment these conditions of new drivers.
Now I don’t know anything about this matter, may be it has disappear like nearly everything who could remember other past times, that are consider very badly in all aspects.
¿Why?….it is just a mystery to me, how is the reason that no body wants to remember what happen in Spain before we were a democratic country.