Like any normal American kid, I got my Driver’s License when I was 16. Within one month of earning my license, I already had my first accident.
What did I do? It was stupid, I’ll admit.
First, I had three friends in the car. That is a lot of distraction for any driver, let alone a brand-new one.
Secondly, I blatantly disregarded the traffic pattern. I was stopped at a light in a left-hand turn lane when my friends pointed out that I actually need to make a right turn. I listened to my friends, ignored the traffic pattern, and decided I could make the right turn across 3 lanes of traffic
The third mistake I made was more based on my lack of experience as a driver. I saw the car I turned into and thought that I could make it. I would be willing to bet that if you put me in that driver’s seat today, with 15 years more driving experience, that I would have judged the vehicle’s speed far better and knew that making the right turn over the left was a poor decision.
Looking back, I feel confident that my situation was not unique amongst new drivers. I was unfortunate enough to cause an accident where, thankfully, no one was hurt but damaged my driving confidence nonetheless. My situation was likely one quite similar to what new drivers experience every day around the United States as they navigate the roads.
It’s hard to ignore that teen drivers are in a lot of accidents. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), six teens aged 16-19 were killed every day in 2017 (the most recent year for data). They also accounted for a disproportionate number of accidents and $13.1 billion in costs for motor vehicle injuries.
These are numbers that we cannot look over and wonder if there are not policies that could be implemented to change these negative outcomes. What could we do differently to limit accidents involving teens?
Increase requirements for education outside of the classroom
According to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, the state where I received my license, an applicant for a driver’s license must have 30 hours of in-classroom instruction and six hours behind the wheel. In my opinion, this ratio is very misaligned.
If you look at Norway, a country where driving is much safer than in the US, a new driver has to go through almost 20 hours of supervised driving in various conditions before they are allowed to have a license. This is in addition to the classroom training. They are supervised while driving at night, long-distance, and in hazardous conditions (a must with a country known for snow!)
The fact is that if you want to get better at driving, you have to drive more. And you have to drive more where you are learning the right way to drive. If we can increase the time spent learning more of the right driving techniques, we can likely limit the potential negative consequences for new drivers.
Driver’s education can be changed to challenge new drivers in situations they are likely to face, all under the direct supervision of a professional driving instructor. By adding requirements like night driving, hazardous driving conditions, and long-distance driving, new drivers are far more likely to be prepared to be successful drivers.
It’s also important that the modality of classroom instruction changes to teach more “practical exercises”. Driving students should be learning around cars as much as possible. This not only provides a more hands-on learning environment for students who learn better in that way, but it provides more of a sense of realness and ownership to students in the process of learning to drive. By creating policies to increase this type of classroom instruction, students create a more personal tie to the driving process and increase their level of comfort with driving.
Place limits on occupants
Looking back on my own situation, I was absolutely distracted by having my friends in the car. It’s a lot to handle as a new driver trying to navigate the roads for the first time.
By placing limits on the number of occupants in a vehicle driven by new drivers, the distraction presented to a new driver can be greatly limited. This could also have ancillary benefits like reducing the possibility of underage drinking inside the vehicle.
A good standard could be no more than two passengers beyond the driver in a vehicle being operated by someone within 18 months of receiving their license. And, if during that time the new driver was involved in an incident where driver distraction was at play, then that 18 months could restart.
The fact is that new drivers want to have their friends in the car. They want to drive them around and show them their newfound freedom of driving. But for a new driver, these additional passengers create new layers of distraction that they are likely not yet fit to handle.
Focus on limiting other distractions
As laid out by Steinberg Goodman & Kalish, there are a number of distractions that can cause problems for drivers. Everything from cell phones, to navigation systems, to personal grooming can distract drivers and be a cause of a serious accident.
To start addressing these distractions, policies can be implemented to ensure that limiting driver distraction is part of vehicle design. The focus of new vehicle technology should not just be in improving the driving experience, but also making it safer.
For example, the incorporation of augmented reality and heads-up displays, done in a non-sensory overload fashion, could provide enough information for drivers to keep their eyes on the road and not look at their dashboard. Information like signals for approaching vehicles, upcoming hazards, and changes in traffic patterns can all be included via sensory information and cellular networks. Particularly considering that new drivers are more adept at incorporating technology into their lives, this could be a useful way to improve driver safety for everyone.
Conclusion
When I take a look back at my first accident, I see that it could have been avoided. If I had fewer people in the car, then my level of distraction would have been less. If I had more confidence in driving, I would have felt better knowing that I could follow the laws and still end up where I needed to be, only a couple of minutes later. And lastly, with more supervisory experience and additional information provided via technology, I could have known that I was going to hit the car coming at me if I tried to make that turn. The good news is that we can still improve.