Teen Drivers — Texting and Driving

Gone are those days, when teens would find joy in collecting shells from the beach.

Although technological breakthroughs have made life easy it has not been without its shortcomings. One of the biggest problem around this is driving. Driving has become dangerous over the years. Why? People and their phones are inseparable! This is especially true with teenagers. Going out for dancing, singing karaoke and eating good food seems like a great idea. Yet, the teens today find joy in immersing in their cell phones. The teens have to take a selfie while driving. They want to check the likes on their Facebook photo while driving. Many teenage drivers face brutal accidents because of rash driving. Studies show that most teen drivers are busy with their phones, while driving.

Why can’t a teen drivers leave their phones while driving? Is it too hard? We have jotted down the possible reasons. Take a quick look!

1. The Fear of Missing Out:

Texts

We all know how addictive texting can be. This becomes especially true in case of teens who only want to text all day long. Texting is not bad but texting and driving is riskier than drunk driving. So please avoid doing the two together.

Social Media

It is uncanny that teens are always excited to check the likes and comments on his/her picture on social media. They can reach home and check it but today’s generation is impatient. They have to know what others are saying about their picture. When a teenager loves the attention, they will check every comment or like. Most teen drivers see a notification on their phone while driving and check it there and then. It feels like their life is dependent on few likes and comments.

• Snapchat and YouTube — You click a photo and post it for the world to see. The picture stays for a day and vanishes. Most of the teenagers are using Snapchat. YouTube is a major distraction for teenagers. The teen wishes to watch videos while driving.
• Instagram — Post your pictures and videos on this platform. The teen drivers check every like on their picture.
• Facebook — The whole world is on Facebook! There is a lot happening on this platform. It is very addictive and dangerous while driving.The teenagers distract themselves with the above mentioned social media platforms. They feel that it is very important to check the likes on their status every 15 minutes.

What to do? — Wait till you reach home or stop the car and check.

2. The so-called Important Call

Teenagers should understand that not every call is important. Most of the female drivers HAVE to pick their boyfriend’s call because they are possessive. Possessive girls and boys should understand that they might lose their ‘love of life’, because of their obsessive nature. Quit it and let them drive in peace.

3. Coordinating with someone

Coordinating with friends over a call while driving is a very big issue. A simple, “Where are you? I have reached!” can lead to a brutal accident. You can reach the place, park your car and then give a call to your friend. Why do you have to talk while driving? It is very unsafe! Your mind is somewhere else while you are talking on the phone. How can you concentrate on driving?

4. Parents too can be blamed

We are not blaming parents but this does happen. Parents often try calling and texting because they worry. But, parents should understand that the child might be driving. It is best to see your child at home at 11 pm, rather than seeing him/her in the hospital with a broken leg.

What to do? — Drop a text to your parents before starting. You do not have to text or take the call while driving.

Our Two Cents

We get to see many cases where a young teen dies because of a car accident. There is no right age for dying! You are putting your life at risk for a like on Facebook. Mobile phones are the cause of teenage road accidents. The teen gets distracted by social media, endless messages and calls from their peers. If teens drive without any distractions, driving would be much safer. Technology has made teens obsessive about their image. The teens want to portray a cool image in front of their friends. They have become conscious about their looks. They want a picture and a video while driving the car. Why? To get few likes, you might just bang into another car and never see the face of Facebook ever again!

Say NO to using phones while driving

This is important for all the parents and teenagers. It is time to put your phone down and concentrate on driving. If you ever meet with an accident, your parents will never ever give you the car keys. If your phone is precious and you want a car to drive, you should learn to be responsible and NOT use the phone. Let’s face it, taking some calls, returning some texts and checking your online social life is not as important as your REAL life.