It is my first lone encounter with a real car, and it changes my view of driving as a cool, glorious adventure. This is an ugly, deadly version of 2-year-olds playing with Tonka trucks and mutant dinosaurs, except I face real danger, not hurt feelings or a scraped knee.
I have been trained in the use of automobiles, know how to dodge or parry blows and keep my seat belt safely around my waist, but so does the enemy.Teenagers and automobiles appear in the media every day, and usually the message is not positive. Different statistics seem to float around like pollen in spring, but they all agree on one thing: Driving as an inexperienced teenager (probably as an experienced adult, too) is war.
Utah is searching, like every other state, for some safety gates for its young drivers. Although Utah's new laws are a small step, they're a step in the right direction. Since 1999, drivers under 18 are required to have 30 hours of supervised battlefield combat training, including 10 hours of nighttime driving -- before young drivers can trade their learner's permit for a license at age 16.
This year's new law requires teens to wear their seat belts at all times or face a $45 fine. Under the law, officers can ticket seat-belt-law violators under 19 just for breaking that law. Those 19 and older can be ticketed only in conjunction with another traffic violation.
The seat-belt law is a no-brainer but still is not right. Every person in the car should be required to wear a seat belt, not only teens.
Luckily the Utah Legislature realizes lack of experience -- not age -- is the problem.
"From 16 to 18 your natural driving talent doesn't improve," explains West High teenager Seth Pugsley.
Pugsley says the only real solution is to make it "harder to get your license." Laws that require teens to spend more practice time on the road help, but Utah's 30-hour requirement is simply too easy to skip.
"Don't let teens drive with teens" is the another solution West High student Michelle Rappaport suggests. Laws that limit the number of teens in a car would lower the number of accidents but also take away teens' fun. During the 2000 legislative session, a bill was proposed that required a chaperone if teens drove with a certain number of other young adults. That bill, however, was defeated.
Although these laws help, every teenager wants the privilege to take friends to a movie or drive to a dance, and everyone gets in accidents sometimes. The best solution is for teens to get as much experience on the road with their parents and instructors as possible.
Anthony Mahler is a student at West High School.