The Epidemic of Distracted Teenage Drivers
Miranda’s mind was racing almost as fast as her car as she sped down the interstate, blowing by a sign that said, “Speed Limit 60 MPH.” One of her hands loosely gripped the steering wheel while the other fiddled with the radio. She couldn’t stop thinking about lunch when Austin, the most handsome boy she’d ever met, had asked her to go to the movies with him that night. Miranda needed to get to her favorite outlet store so she could pick out the perfect outfit. She was busy thinking about whether blue or green would go better with her eyes when her phone started to ring in the passenger seat. She grabbed it, about to bring it to her ear, when she suddenly dropped it to the floorboard as her car zoomed …show more content…
This distraction involves the driver having his or her mind not focused on the road. Many things can cause a teenager to become mentally distracted. Miranda was focused on her upcoming date. Another teen might be thinking about an exam she’s on her way to take. A third might be trying to focus on a funny joke his friend in the backseat is telling. In fact, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, more crashes occur when other teens are in a car with a teen driver, and two out of three teens that die as passengers in a car wreck were being driven be another teen. Not focusing on the road can be deadly. Miranda was too busy thinking to notice that she was driving over the speed limit; her mind was on her phone instead of the upcoming traffic-light. Likewise, distracted teen drivers can miss many other important things, such as a car slowing down in front of them to turn or a pedestrian crossing the …show more content…
Miranda did this too—fiddling with her radio and reaching for her phone. While changing the radio station isn’t inherently a bad driving practice, it can certainly be dangerous if the driver doesn’t remain watchful of the road. Things such as eating, changing out a CD, and even turning on the air conditioner can cause a teenager to become distracted and careen off the road. The safest place for a person’s hands to be while driving is on the steering wheel since even something as simple as a strong gust of wind on an open highway can be enough to make a car drift into another
Miranda’s mind was racing almost as fast as her car as she sped down the interstate, blowing by a sign that said, “Speed Limit 60 MPH.” One of her hands loosely gripped the steering wheel while the other fiddled with the radio. She couldn’t stop thinking about lunch when Austin, the most handsome boy she’d ever met, had asked her to go to the movies with him that night. Miranda needed to get to her favorite outlet store so she could pick out the perfect outfit. She was busy thinking about whether blue or green would go better with her eyes when her phone started to ring in the passenger seat. She grabbed it, about to bring it to her ear, when she suddenly dropped it to the floorboard as her car zoomed …show more content…
This distraction involves the driver having his or her mind not focused on the road. Many things can cause a teenager to become mentally distracted. Miranda was focused on her upcoming date. Another teen might be thinking about an exam she’s on her way to take. A third might be trying to focus on a funny joke his friend in the backseat is telling. In fact, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, more crashes occur when other teens are in a car with a teen driver, and two out of three teens that die as passengers in a car wreck were being driven be another teen. Not focusing on the road can be deadly. Miranda was too busy thinking to notice that she was driving over the speed limit; her mind was on her phone instead of the upcoming traffic-light. Likewise, distracted teen drivers can miss many other important things, such as a car slowing down in front of them to turn or a pedestrian crossing the …show more content…
Miranda did this too—fiddling with her radio and reaching for her phone. While changing the radio station isn’t inherently a bad driving practice, it can certainly be dangerous if the driver doesn’t remain watchful of the road. Things such as eating, changing out a CD, and even turning on the air conditioner can cause a teenager to become distracted and careen off the road. The safest place for a person’s hands to be while driving is on the steering wheel since even something as simple as a strong gust of wind on an open highway can be enough to make a car drift into another