Adolescence, Young Drivers, Florida and California
Adolescence is a period of movement from childhood and adulthood. It is the period that young people face the task of proving their abilities in most cultures around the world. Numerous crisis and numerous experimentations as the young person searches for an identity characterize the period of adolescence. With a lack of proper guidance, these experimentations have drastic consequences. Driving is one area that adolescents familiarize with during the period. The relationship between age and driving has been a concern for road usage policymakers for a long time. Drivers that are too young (adolescents) and drivers that are too old cause most accidents. Adolescents are responsible for the highest numbers of accidents due to their low perception of risk and irrational decision-making. Slow decision-making and slower reflexes, on the other hand, affect old people and account for most accidents involving the elderly. In America, the fatalities because of adolescent accidents in the year 2008 was 6,428 people (Teenage Driver Crash Statistics).
Most these people were in other vehicles or passengers of the accident causing adolescents. The states of Florida and California recorded the highest numbers of accidents involving adolescents in the year 2008 at 516 and 593 respectively. Of these people, 2793 people were the young drivers, the rest either their passengers or outside parties involved in an accident (Teenage Driver Crash Statistics). Must action to bring these numbers down. However, to improve the statistics, it is important to understand young drivers and the factors that lead to their involvement in road accidents.
[...] For example, the invincibility fables. Adolescents, according to psychologists, take more risks because they fail to perceive real danger (Sigelman et al., 227). They exempt themselves from rules of nature and think they are unlikely to die or suffer any real consequence because of their actions. Their need to make an impression, which leads to taking risk, also arises from an adolescent fable, imaginary audience. According to psychologists, adolescents feel that they are constantly under scrutiny from people around them, this leads to them doing things to draw attention (Sigelman et al., 227). [...]
[...] Research also shows that drunk drivers experience blurred vision, and their reflexes are not as fast as when they are sober. Adolescents are common abusers of drugs, and since it is illegal to drink at their age, they are unable to ask their parents to drive them home. The result is that they have to drive even when they abuse drugs, which increases the probability of accidents involving young drivers. Young people have a natural willingness to take risks and try new things. [...]
[...] The reason could also be a perception. They perceive wearing seatbelts as and therefore refrain from wearing them (Sigelman et al., 227). The reason they do not wear seatbelts, whether they are driving or they are passengers is not clear. What is certain is that few adolescents wear seat belts, and it results in more fatalities in the event that an accident occurs. Lack of skills Most-young drivers are ‘learners.' They lack the skills relevant to have proper control of the car, and they are, therefore, more susceptible to road accidents (Teenage Driver Crash Statistics). [...]
[...] In conclusion, young drivers cause more accidents than the other drivers do. These accidents affect many people and lead t loss of life, which is saddening, especially considering their young age and potential. These accidents claim twice as many lives as the young drivers, which imply that as long as there are young drivers on the roads, no one on the roads is safe. There is a requirement to take urgent steps to control, or at least minimise the number of deaths caused by young drivers. [...]
[...] Psychologists propose that most- adolescent problem is psychological in nature. The personality fables, for example, lead to disregard of rules and risky behavior. To control these fables, the relevant authorities need to enlighten the adolescents. Research shows that individuals are more probable to change if they know the cause of their behavior. Bibliography " Teenage Driver Crash Statistics." California department of motor vehicles. N.p., n.d. Web Mar Lerner, Richard M., and Laurence D. Steinberg. Handbook of adolescent psychology. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Print. [...]
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