Teen Drivers

According to the article "Teens Behind The Wheel" by Chris Wagner, teenagers are mostly about driving. They drive as soon as they get their license. Parents can't even get their teens out of the couch, but as soon as they get a license they are out and ready on their own. That's what the kids think.. that they are old enough and are responsible for driving. The author wants us to know that their are many teenagers out their that are driving on their own and that they might not be ready for the responsibility about driving a car. The author also wants us to know that when the teenagers get their license and start to drive, they are more likely to start new actions such as drinking or smoking. "In a 2004 study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol, researchers McCarthy and Brown report that in the period immediately after obtaining their license, teens are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors such as drinking and smoking marijuana," Wagner mentions.

Chris Wagner uses many craft moves throughout his article. One craft move he used was including a fact about the Journal Of Studies On Alcohol. This helps the reader understand better on what teenagers can do when they start driving. Another craft move Wagner uses is that he gives us topics on how teenagers aren't responsible to drive. Some topics are:  Inexperience, Speeding, Street Racing, Drunk Driving, Drugged driving, Cellphone use etc. By giving these topics Wagner has shown me several risks and problems that happen while teenagers drive.Each topic has a paragraph explaining what happens when teen drivers do those actions. He mentions that "Teen drivers are far less experienced behind the wheels." Wagner wants us to feel disappointed and angry toward the teenager because these problems are what causes danger to their lives. By driving they can seriously hurt themselves and others as well.

I wasn't aware of many of the topics as mentioned above before I read the article. But as I read through the entire thing I am now more wise about the fact of teen drivers. Now I know that "teens feel the need for speed" meaning they want to go faster then their limit. I myself want to drive, but I wont drive till I know I am ready. I know some of the reasons why the teens are very excited to drive, they want to be independent and become an adult. They want to be treated like an adult so they think that driving might be a contributing factor to being considered one. I personally think that it isn't true. You need to have full responsibility in order to drive and take care of yourself along with the passengers in your car.

I also wasn't aware of the fact that  “16 year-old drivers have a higher rate of crashes in which excessive speed is a factor.” Among fatal crashes from 1983-2002, the proportion of drivers who were speeding was highest among 15- to 20-year-olds (nearly 40 percent), and higher than any other age group (NCSA)." This matter is serious. 15 year olds aren't even supposed to drive. You are supposed to drive when you are 18 years old and have a license. This is why teenagers get into car crashes. They aren't experienced well enough to handle being behind the wheels. Though teens want to drive to have a thrill, they shouldn't drive if they are underage and unexperienced.

 Citations:Wagner, Chris. "Teens behind the wheel." CPYU. Not Given. Not Given. 26 Feb. 2013 <http://www.cpyu.org/page.aspx?id=163421>.