|
Have you heard this one? Question: What's the most dangerous part of an automobile? Answer: The nut behind the steering wheel. Get it? The really dangerous nut isn't the metal screw or bolt connecting the wheel to the steering column...it's the nut, who's driving the car unsafely.
Why is driving responsibly an important issue for teenagers? Simple. Car accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers. Chances are somebody you knew or someone from your school or town was killed in a teenage driving accident.
Car accidents are responsible for almost 40% (that's almost four in every ten) of all the deaths of teenagers in the U.S. between the ages of 16 and 19. Some of those killed were the drivers, some passengers, and some innocent people walking on the road or on the sidewalk. Most of the people in cars were not wearing seat belts. Either speed or alcohol or both caused the deadly accidents.
There are many more frightening statistics about driving recklessly but chances are your teachers and parents have given you "two earfuls" of warnings already. Unfortunately, not enough teens seem to have been listening!! In 2002 alone, almost six thousand of them died as a result of car accidents? How many more will have their lives needlessly ended in 2005? Even one is one too many…especially if it happens to be yours or the life of someone close to you.
Whether you're a preteen who's still counting the days until you can get your license, or a teenager already driving, it makes a lot of sense to think carefully about both the rights and the responsibilities, which go along with operating a motor vehicle. What's your reward after those hours of driver's ed classes and practice runs in a friend or parent’s car? You finally know enough and are skillful enough to pass the driver's test. You're given a license...a license to drive, not a license to kill.
Read more about Driving Responsibly:
|