Auto Accident Rates in Teens - Research Paper Example

?Running head: Auto Accident rates in teens Auto Accident rates in teens Introduction Auto accidents in teens are in form of car and motorbike crashes. Highway Safety administrators and researchers have been interested in studies linking age and auto accidents. It has been noted that teenage drivers cause most traffic crashes. In fact, traffic crashes cause most deaths of teenagers in the US. Drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 years are the greatest violators of traffic rules causing most deaths on the roads. It has now become an issue on how auto accident rates in teens can be controlled. Most scholars are conducting researches on how they can link stricter enforcement of traffic laws or stricter curfew laws with reduction of auto accident rates in teens. In the recent years, localities as well as cities all over the US have majored on youth curfew uses to address the burning issue of increased teenage accidents. Policy makers see these curfews as the best and effective mechanisms of dealing with the rising auto accident rates in teens. According to Ricardi (1997), reducing youths on the streets at night and during school days have reduced the rates of teen accidents. These among other curfews set on youth make it possible to reduce deaths caused on the roads by the youths. As a matter of fact, controlling youth driving through curfews and strict rules has worked marvelous with parents who saw it as punishment at start, regarding it a great benefit. Auto accident rates are very high on teens than on any other age group. The main cause of the high auto accident rates in teens is risk taking. Teenagers find it fun when they engage in risky driving skills to prove to their peers that they are qualified drivers. They over speed, make dangerous turns, violate traffic signals and signs, tailgate and run red lights among others as noted by Males and Macallair (1999). All these increase their chances of engaging in motor crashes. Other factors leading to high auto crashes among teens are lack of driving skills, drugs and alcohol, night driving, and carrying of passengers especially fellow teens. Male teen drivers are more likely to cause auto accidents than female teen drivers are. This accelerates when make teen drivers carry male teens who are likely to distract them on the roads. It is notable that teen drivers are not likely to recognize risky situations while driving and as a result, end up in a car crash. They do not have safety belts locked up when driving (Leonard, 2006). Linking stricter enforcement of traffic laws or stricter curfew laws with reduction of auto accident rates in teens As noted earlier, auto accident rates in teens are the highest all over the world and especially in developed countries where almost all teens have access to cars. It has become an issue all over the world, on how those accidents can be controlled. It is not easy for parents to impose strict rules on their teenage children in order to avoid fatal accidents on the roads. A parent cannot monitor the type and number of passengers his or her teenage boy carries while out driving. It is also difficult for a parent to hold a driving license of his son because he is driving carelessly. However, with the help of the government through imposition of traffic laws, it becomes absolutely easy to monitor and control teenage driving with harsh measures taken to the violators of the laws (Ruefle & Brantley, 1997). Considering the strict laws passed in Oregon, the teens are arguing that the laws are too harsh and need to be lessened. However, the parents are happy with the results of the laws. In fact, 52% of the parents in Oregon think that the violators of the set traffic rules should be dealt with in very harsh ways. The accident rates caused by teens have been reduced as teens are subjected to strict rules in their driving ventures. For instance, “The state restricts 16- and 17-year-old drivers from using cell phones, even hands-free, set a curfew and limits the number of passengers teens can drive. They also require a minimum of 50 hours of supervised driving time (Ruefle & Brantley, 1997, p. 189). This move is seen to work wonders and over 86% of the parents in the state are supportive. Since Oregon’s laws are set for the teen drivers aged 16 and 17 years, it is reported that while accident rates reduce remarkably for the age group, they are reported to increase for the teen drivers aged 18 years. This means that the laws should be set for all teen drivers in order to reduce car crashes. With strict traffic rules and laws, it is noted that teens can only carry a specific number of passengers, not use electronics, and drive cars whose speeds are monitored and controlled. This way, their driving is heavily controlled and accidents immensely controlled. A survey conducted from Allstate Insurance shows that America is in need of strict traffic rules for the teens. The survey was conducted on 1,000 American adults to show their reaction on Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection ACT (STANDUP). Even though the law is pending waiting for affirmation, much has been reported on what needs to be added. To start with, it was reported that the age of an American youth owning a learner’s permit needed to be raised to 16 years. The respondents proposed rules restricting teens from carrying non-family passengers, banning use of cell phones, and not driving at night. It is proposed that by enacting STANDUP law, teen auto accidents will drop by 40% (Lundman, 1993, p. 23). Considering the positive effect of the strict rules of teenage driving imposed in Connecticut State, it is true to link strict traffic rules with reduced teen auto crashes. It has been noted that since the strict rules were imposed on teens below the age of 17years, deaths, injuries, and crashes have decreased remarkably. Since the enactment of the strict measures on 1 August 2008, there has been a 12% decrease on teen auto crashes. According to the principal of “a research firm in Trumbull that studies transportation and highway safety issues for state and federal government agencies”, the decline in teen road crashes can be attributed to the hold back of licenses of the misbehaving and the will of teens to avoid the harsh restrictions brought by the law (Dee & William, 2001, p. 95). This means that the teens find it better to drive safely than to face the consequences of breaking the strict traffic rules. There were series of car crashes in the year 2007 in Connecticut State, making the state policy makers set strict laws to teen drivers (Hausman et al, 2008). These laws included expanding on the training requirements, setting tougher penalties for the people who violated the set rules, suspending licenses of the culprits, as well as a 2-hour mandatory course for the both the culprit youth and the parent/ guardian. In order to avoid facing the harsh laws, teens had to drive carefully. It is notable that the strict laws set to reduce high auto accident rates in youths should not be imposed on people without considering their suggestions. This means that, the citizens of a country, on which the laws will be imposed, should be made aware of them. The citizens should understand the laws with awareness made to both the parents/guardians and the teens see the importance of them. They should be made aware that the rules are meant for the protection. As noted by Commissioner Ward of Connecticut State, Creating societal awareness is important in order to reduce crashes and loss of precious lives. (Dee & William, 2001, p. 96). It is of paramount importance to note that the states in which strict rules have been imposed on teen drivers, crashes have been reduced on year bases. With awareness made on the reasons as to why the new rules are set, it is notable that teens do not take the rules as a mode of punishment but for their own benefit. They understand that it is extremely risky to drink and drive (Males, 2006) It is evident that is all countries where teenagers driving is controlled such that they do not drive at night, their learning tests are strengthened, and carry limited number of passengers, the road accidents they cause are decreased. The strict rules in place should not be used to increase teen culprits in jails. As argued by Levitt and Porter (2002), increasing teens locked up in jails for breaking the strict rules does not solve the problem at hand but rather diverts it to other areas. Parents cannot be in support of rules that will make their teen boys enter the jail rooms almost every night. Opposers of strict traffic rules for teens In the US, the harsh traffic rules allow driving licenses to be issued only to citizens who have attained the age of 17 years. Additionally, a teen is allowed to carry passengers, including family members, only after the license is seven months old. This makes it hard for the teen drivers who cannot drive their siblings to school or pick friends and take them to parties. It is very embarrassing if a teen driver has a friend to visit her from school and cannot driver her home; she has to take a bus if she does not own her own car. In order to avoid such embarrassments, some scholars argue that teens should be free to drive their cars and carry anyone they wish but not breaking laws like driving drunk or carrying excess passengers (DeJong & Hingson, 1998). This way, they will feel comfortable with their friends and family members and will help when necessary like taking them to school, hospital, and meetings. According to the Department of Transportation the number of people that were convicted for not adhering to the curfew laws as well as passenger restriction laws, increased from the year 2009 to 2010 (Harvard Law Review Association, 1997, p. 195). This makes it hard for most parents to support the laws, which according to the policy makers are meant to save lives. Teens are tempted to drive their boyfriends or girlfriends before the seven-month licensure period only to find themselves locked up in jails. This is followed by a strict measure taken on both the teens and their parents as they are forced to attend a two-hour mandatory course. This may be difficult on the part of the parents who have busy schedules to attend to. Teenagers are also tempted to drive late at night during summer periods as they are forced to pick ice creams downtown. This makes them victims of law violators and they are locked up in jails. It is also argued that it is baseless to set up strict rules for the teens while in the real sense; there are aged drivers who are misbehaving on the roads. It was once quoted that old drivers think that they are the most experienced and thus make illegal turns on roundabouts and risky spots on the road. It is notable that old drivers need effective driving tests from better schools. This way, they will be more careful on the roads. They are not the best even although with lesser road accidents than teen drivers are. Imposing the strict rules on teens only is unfair (Harvard Law Review Association, 1997). There are other ways of reducing road accidents by teens apart from imposing unnecessarily overly strict rules. Teens can be made aware of the consequences they have to face once they drive carelessly. Through seminars, teens can be shown the negative effects of careless driving by been shown pictures of wreckages of cars involved in accidents and statistics of the deaths resulting from reckless driving. This is a measure if put into consideration can reduce teens’ deaths resulting from accidents remarkably without the use of exaggerated laws (Peltzman, 2005). Conclusion Auto accident rate in teens has become an issue of concern all over the world. More deaths are reported every year because of reckless driving by the teens. It is notable that teens are risk takers and think that they are most experienced and the best drivers. In efforts to show their friends that they are experienced in driving, they over speed and make illegal turns on the road causing fatal accidents. Statistics show that accidents caused by teen drivers are as a result of drunken driving, over speeding, and carrying peer passengers among others. Considering the countries or states that have put in place strict traffic rules for the youth, it is reported that fatal accidents caused by youths are declining. This shows that even though there are scholars against the strict rules, imposition of the rules has brought more good than harm. In fact, in countries where the strict rules are adhered to and the violators locked up in jails, accidents have declined with a greater percentage. It is therefore recommended that all states and countries impose such laws. References Dee, T. S. & William, N. E. (2001). “Behavioral Policies and Teen Traffic Safety.” Behavioral Sciences 2 (1): 91-96 DeJong, W. & Hingson, R. (1998). “Strategies to Reduce Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol.” Annual Review of Public Health, 19: 359–78. Harvard Law Review Association. (1997). “Curfews May Be Ineffective and Discriminatory.” Pp. 193-198 in Juvenile Crime: Opposing Viewpoints, edited by D. Bender and B. Leone. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press. 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(2005). “The Effects of Automobile Safety Regulation.” Journal of Political Economy, 83(4): 677–725. Ricardi, N. (1997). “Small-Town Success.” Los Angeles Times, B14-15. Ruefle, R. & Brantley, S. (1997). “Curfews Can Be Effective and Constitutional.” Pp. 187-192 in Juvenile Crime: Opposing Viewpoints, edited by D. Bender and B. Leone. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press. Read More