With my sixteen year old niece getting her driver's license, it has me thinking about teenage drivers. I feel like we all have our stories of classmates who either lost their life or were critically injured because of stupid mistakes behind the wheel. Drinking, talking, racing, swerving to be funny - they are operating tons of metal on wheels and they didn't take it seriously. I was there - it was scary and easy to over correct mistakes. Unfortunately now, we have all of those same distractions accompanied with GPS, texting, calling, and cars that go faster. Adults definitely do these same crazy things but most of the time adults at least are able to correct and control their vehicle a little better - not always. The summer before my senior year in high school, I learned of friends who were in a drunk driving accident - one of whom didn't survive and another (the driver) was ostracized thereafter because of the other's death. Subsequently a chain reaction of more death and devastation rolled over my group of friends into our senior year. This many years later it still effects me daily (truly). I look at my own son and one of my nephews who reminds me of this friend and worry.
I feel like I am betraying my 16 year old self by saying this, but I am all for teenagers having to be older to get their driver's license. When I hear people say that they are "good drunk drivers" it is like nails on a chalkboard for me! I hate that most of the time it's not the "good drunk driver" who is injured or killed but innocent folks on the road. Two kids (seniors in high school) were out in the middle of night after homecoming - friends of yet another niece - and they were drunk but didn't think they were. They hit a pole and luckily survived. My niece told me that I wasn't in their shoes so I shouldn't judge them... ordinarily I would agree but in the circumstance of drinking and driving - I just can't see shades of gray. When it comes to something that could harm me or my family... not so much understanding of other perspectives.
There have been studies proving that texting while driving makes us more impaired than being drunk and talking on the cell phone while driving is about the same as being drunk - that is what really scared me. It can literally be a life and death decision.
Feel free to share your comments/opinions...
