Preventing Distracted Driving Among Teenagers

Distracted driving is any activity or distraction that takes a driver 's attention away from their focus on the road (“Facts 1”). Distracted driving in the United States is becoming a huge and increasing problem. As many as 660,000 Americans are fiddling and playing around with their cell phones and other technologies while driving (Perry 1). Every day nine people die and 1,060 people are injured due to distracted driving (Halsey 1). To reduce the trend in distracted driving among teenagers, parents and teachers need to educate teenagers on distracted driving to prevent and cut down on the number of accidents.
First, in order to educate teenagers on distracted driving parents and teachers need to understand how adolescents think and develop. Teenagers are still developing and going through changes, hormones, and puberty; their brains do not fully develop until about 25 years of age. Physiological, psychological, and environmental conditions have an increased impact in decision-making and other functions that involves adolescences and driving (“3 characteristics of Adolescence 1”). As puberty begins in teenagers, it affects their mood and drive making them take more risks and decision making. They take the risk of speeding, riding other cars too closely, and weaving in and out of traffic. …show more content…
Research shows teenagers are more receptive to information about distracted driving for people who have been impacted by it in some way (“OPP 3”). These videos include victims that have lost family and close friends. The family sends a message to the audience about the dangers and tragedies of distracted driving. It shows the impact of how one text sent while driving can impact not only the person sending the text, but the innocent drivers around them and their families. It allows the students to witness and see how distracted driving changed families’ lives