About two months ago I was flipping through the channels and came to rest on a local station's 5 o'clock newscast. The story was on teen drivers and a legislative bill that would make it mandatory for teens 18 and younger to wear seat belts while in the car.
To illustrate the story, the news crew directed a camera toward East High School's student parking lot. They filmed a number of East students leaving school property in cars without wearing their seat belts.This is just one of many instances where teen drivers are being targeted in Utah. Politicians and law enforcement officials seem to be trying to find more and more ways to restrict teens on the road. The question is, can we really blame them?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, teen drivers make up only 7 percent of the total driving population but account for one-fourth of the traffic deaths. Ninety percent of teen accidents are caused by speed and inexperience. Teens have the highest death rate of any age group driving.
Restrictions on teen drivers are growing across the country. Ten states restrict the number and age of passengers who can ride with new teen drivers. The majority of states in the nation now have driving curfews, one as early as 9 p.m. for those under 18.
As harsh as this may seem, it makes a lot of sense. Researchers report that the risk of a teenage driver dying increases with each additional passenger in the car; numbers show teen accident rates increase after 10 p.m. and more dramatically after midnight.
With all the facts in mind, I know restrictions are in place for the safety of all drivers, but speaking as a teen driver myself, this is frustrating and infuriating. It is hard to pick up a newspaper today without reading about problem teenagers.
Schools are becoming police states, and now we have to worry about the roads as well.
Miranda Whitworth is a student at East High School.