Introduction:
Many people underestimate the severity of teenage reckless driving issues. These people also believe that, if they are of age and passed the driving test, teenagers are more than capable of driving safely and taking care of themselves. This is true for some new drivers, but most take months before they are comfortable with handling a car. I am not suggesting that we raise the driv#1ing age, but I do believe that we need to do a better job of educating new drivers about safe driving habits. Teenage reckless driving is a serious problem on today’s roadways and we need to do something to change that.
Area of Support #1:
This section will focus on a study that focused on teen driving behavior. I will discuss the findings of the event-triggered video intervention system used in the study. Its results show that most of the problems that the teenage participants encountered were coachable events; meaning that giving new drivers feedback on these events could prevent them from happening again.
Area of Support #2:
This section will discuss some of the laws and regulations relating to new drivers that different states have. It will also include data from these places to see if the new regulations made a difference in teen driver safety. The answer to making the roads safer for everyone may involve enacting new laws regulating new drivers.
Area of Support #3:
This section will talk about the distractions that teens are more susceptible to, which include texting and peer pressure. Both of these issues are all too present in a teenagers driving experience and lead to thousands of fatal accidents each year. We need to stress the importance for teens to give their undivided attention to the road and no one else.
Area of Support #4:
The last section will focus on Neurological research on the teenage brain and explain why teenagers are much more likely to give in to dangerous behavior. I will discuss how understanding this information could help us work around these immature tendencies to help solve the problem.
Conclusion:
Teenagers do not only face external distractions and inexperience while driving, they also have a mental crutch that makes dealing with these issues more difficult. Though many people are not aware of it, teenage reckless driving is a huge danger not only to the new drivers, but also to all the other drivers on the road. The laws that try to prevent unsafe driving behavior are not effective enough. We need to test new laws and new forms of education to try to help teens make better decisions on the road.
Very nice job, Mike. It is clear that you have done a lot of research on the topic and you have very good points. You include the other side in your thesis and it looks like it will be included througout the paper. I really like that you have included the info in Area of Support #4 - would it make sense to start with it? Just something to think about.
ReplyDeleteI think its great that you mentioned the video intervention because Im sure its not something everyone is very familiar with. Its very organized how you detail a specific issue first before proposing a solution, it lets readers understand the need for that response. You seem to refer to "new drivers" and "teen drivers" as equal, but there are of course older people that get their first license as well, so maybe you'll want to clarify.
ReplyDeleteIn area 3 it may be a good idea to first include statistics showing evidence that teens ARE more susceptible. Same with area 4, maybe you'll want to clarify what would make the teenage brain so much more prone to hazards than an experienced driver that is angry/emotionally preoccupied/stressed. Just throwing some ideas out there, hope it helps somehow
Mike,
ReplyDeleteYou seem well on your way to creating a great paper.I definitely see how this issue can be a tad bit controversial, given that the elderly may show neurological differences in response and ability as well. I agree with what Jolie stated about teen drivers being different from the more experienced group.One could even argue that with experience comes trial and error, perhaps even "practice makes perfect".
i am very interested in reading this and what specific issue with the teenage driving epidemic. i think that something being written on this topic from someone still a teen themselves will being a lot of personal insight and serious awareness to the issue
ReplyDelete