For many teenagers, usage of a cell phone at any given time is almost a liberty of sorts. Certainly, it may be abridged during the school year or by their parents, but in the majority of circumstances, adolescents can still be observed using their mobile devices for a variety of purposes, such as texting, listening to music, and browsing the Internet. This, however, generally leads to some form of technological addiction, which can cause vast danger when the aforementioned adolescents sit behind the wheel and do not relent in their utilization of technology for even the duration of their drive.

It is nearly inevitable that with teenagers and above-16-age come driving; as such, due to the sheer amount of teenagers behind the wheel and their autonomy of mind, it is difficult—for parents and third parties alike—to control their actions in a vehicle without supervising their driving. A cellular device, among other things, is arguably one of the largest distractions for teenagers on the road, in addition to adults; phones are notorious for being commonly used behind the wheel, notwithstanding any legal statutes barring such action. Additionally, loud and/or intrusive music playing as one drives is another major distraction (as well as the opposite—overly soft, sleep-inducing music). It cannot be denied that teenagers have, as a whole, shorter attention spans and higher rates of distraction than adults, and pose a higher risk to themselves and others on the road, with vehicular fatalities being three times more likely with teenagers than with drivers over the age of 20.

To counter this, there are, of course, a variety of manners in which adolescents can stay safe when driving, especially should the driver have other passengers in the vehicle. Teenagers behind the wheel should, as with all other drivers, direct their attention exclusively toward the road and minimize disturbances by silencing technology and placing it and other non-essential objects out of one’s eyesight or arm’s reach and/or keeping the volume of music playing the background within a reasonably low spectrum. They should also refrain from performing any particularly labor-intensive or attention-wavering actions while behind the wheel, such as putting on makeup, driving with a child or pet on their lap, or—as humorous as it may sound to some—changing their attire. Drivers should also, regardless of age, stay alert of the actions of other vehicles on the road, wear their seat belts, and conform to traffic laws and speed regulations without giving in to road rage.