Dangerous mistakes young drivers make

Young and teen-aged drivers are at more risk of accidents than older drivers and adults primarily because of the inability to deal with emergency situations. It is not just this but there is a host of different factors as well that affect the driving skills of individuals. It has been estimated that there is about 4 times more risk of an accident amongst the youth as compared to adults. Following are some of the problems that youngsters commonly make while driving, by listing these down we expect the reader to avoid making such driving errors in the near future.

Distracted Driving

Young drivers tend to be busy behind the wheel with all sorts of distractions such as text messaging, cell phones and edibles. Majority of accidents that take place are due to certain distractions. Remember no distraction is small; keep your eyes off the road.

Risky Driving

Distractions are normally tag-lined as ignorance while risky driving is deliberate such that it can easily be avoided. Ignoring traffic lights or changing lanes without noticing blind spots could prove extremely dangerous. Researchers have shown that teenagers show twice more activity in the area that deals with impulsive actions when they face risky choices.

Speeding

Teens have this habit of speeding just for enjoyment or showing off, what they do not understand is how their response time shrinks with an increase in speed. They speed up without realizing the major risk they are putting themselves in and the people around them.

Overcrowding the vehicle

Studies have shown that cramming the car, with many passengers, which are meant for four or five results in teens driving more callously and aggressively. Encouraged by their passengers, the young driver drives dangerously and carelessly putting everyone in and outside the car at risk.

Drug Influence

Driving under the influence of drugs is also a big problem. Many young people drink and drive which leads to accidents as well. Alcohol is not the only problem other drugs such as marijuana are also a constant nuisance.

Driving too close

Young drivers often follow too closely behind vehicles even if at speeds higher than 60 mph. If a person travels at that speed then sufficient space is required between vehicles to avoid any mishaps; an average car requires 120 to 140 feet to come to a stop at that speed. Teenagers do not realize this and consider driving in such fashion as fun and aggressive which actually a very naïve and dangerous idea.

Avoiding the seatbelt

Teenager consider driving without seatbelts as daring, they feel that they are invincible. This misplaced sense of invincibility leads youngsters to perform unnecessary stunts and speeding as well. Even though these seat belts seem annoying, you must wear them to keep you safe in case of any unforeseen situation.

Poor handling of emergencies

Handling emergency situations comes with valuable driving experience. Most teenaged drivers do not know how to handle emergency situations and even if they do, putting that knowledge to practical use is something they do not know. Thus, the lack of experience accompanied by reckless driving proves to be a safety hazard.

Driving when sleepy

Driving when drowsy is responsible for many crashes and sometimes deaths. Fatigue and sleeplessness can compromise your reaction time thus proving to be another dangerous situation to be driving in.

Wrong car selection and Poor maintenance

Teens go for fame, popularity and flashy vehicles which catch the eye of their peers, friends and bystanders. They pass on with safety features in cars for trending car accessories. It is also seen that they buy cars too expensive for their budget and thus end up not maintaining it.