If you're a teenager and just got your driver's license, you're probably excited about it. You have good reason to be. Getting your license is a huge step toward growing up.
It represents freedom as much as anything else. Maybe your parents are buying you a used car, or they're giving you their old one and buying a new one. It's also possible they cannot provide you with a vehicle right now, but they say you can borrow theirs sometimes.
Whatever you work out, they've probably talked to you about driving responsibilities. You can't act recklessly when you drive, or you can harm yourself or someone else.
We're going to go over a few driving activities you must be sure to avoid. Maybe your parents have mentioned these to you before, but if they haven't, you should certainly have an awareness of them and the damage they can do.
Fatigued Driving
Let's say you pull an all-nighter. Maybe you're:
-
Studying for a big test
-
Getting ready for a class presentation
You know you haven't gotten any sleep. Your parents bought you a used car, and you can either drive it to school or else you can catch the bus that comes by your house.
In this scenario, if you feel like you're too tired to drive, you should take the bus instead. You're probably eager to drive since you just got your license.
However, recent studies found that fatigue is a major factor in accidents. It's far better to take the bus to and from school this particular day, rather than driving and risking falling asleep at the wheel.
Drinking and Driving
Your parents likely talked to you about this, but we should mention it again. As a teenager, you may want to try alcohol. Perhaps you have an older friend or relative who can get it for you.
If you try alcohol, it's not the worst thing you can do, but you should never drink and drive under any circumstances. If you do:
-
You can hit a pedestrian
-
You might hit another car
-
You could run a stop sign
You don't have much driving experience yet, and you can't easily judge if you're drunk, either. You might feel like you're okay to drive after a couple of beers, but it's likely that put you over the legal limit.
If you drink and drive and you harm or even kill someone, you will never forgive yourself. This is a way to wreck your life before you even truly begin it. Avoid this behavior at all costs.
Racing
Some teens also like to race each other if their parents get them vehicles or they borrow them some evening. It might seem like a fun thing to do to go out on some deserted country road and see whose car is faster.
This is another foolish activity. You never know if you're going to lose control and run the car into a ditch or tree. A deer or a dog might run across the road, and you may swerve to avoid it, striking the other vehicle against which you're racing.
You should never do this at any age. It's reckless behavior, and there's no need to show off like this in front of your friends. If you're facing peer pressure, stay strong, and resist it.
Speeding
Your parents might have also told you about how dangerous speeding is. You should stick to the speed limit, either on the highway or local roads.
On the highway, you might legally go fifty-five or sixty-five miles per hour, depending on where you live. In some states, you can even go seventy.
The faster you go, though, the easier it is to lose control. If traffic conditions change in front of you, you might rear-end the car ahead of you, or you could swerve and hit another vehicle or a concrete divider.
On local roads, if you speed, you could hit a pet, pedestrian, or cyclist. You should observe the speed limit, especially in school zones during school hours, or anywhere you know children could be nearby.
Your parents might also talk to you about never texting and driving or letting a Bluetooth call distract you. They may tell you to keep your music down and to only turn right on red when it's safe to do so.
They probably have plenty of driving experience, so listen to them. You don't want to let an early driving mistake wreck your life.
