As teenagers, we all hear a little groan from our parents once we finally get our license. Our notorious behavior behind the wheel has sparked a range of new laws and restrictions for drivers under 18. Traditionally, our first license is provisional and enforces a curfew of midnight, along with the ‘one friend” rule, in which only one unrelated person is permitted in the vehicle of the person driving. Once we renew our license for the next year is when most of us obtain our ultimate driving freedom. While we all know that these laws are put into place to protect the well-being of all citizens, a new law begs the question, are all laws created equal?
According to House Bills 2730 and 339, enacted September 1st, the Texas State Legislature restricts all drivers under the age of 18 from using a wireless communication device while driving. The law specifically states, however, that the use of a wireless communication device will not resort in a traffic stop.
I’m not going to justify my challenge of the new law with the fact that I’m no longer free to check my texts at a stop light, but rather, that it’s illogical for the Texas Legislature to impose the restriction on such a small population of drivers. Instead, it seems wiser to require the rule to affect the entire driving population rather than a small portion of it.
Teenagers ages 15-18 make us 6.4% of all drivers, and teen car wrecks caused by the use of an electronic device account for a 21% of crashes. Inversely, 50% of adult car accidents are caused by electronic devices. The statistics clearly state that calling, texting, or fidgeting around with music players while driving isn’t limited to teens. We get our age groups notoriety for impeccable driving isn’t exactly a clean state, but is the adults or senior population of drivers.
Motor vehicle accidents are the #1 cause of teen deaths in the United States, but that doesn’t mean these deaths are caused by a collision with another teenagers. On the road, age is just a statistic. The way one maneuvers the vehicle, however, is what ultimately matters, and imposing a law that only requires a small slice of drivers to abide by it doesn’t justify the impact that the other 93.6% of the population already has. Ultimately, if the Legislature doesn’t want to restrict all of us, they should restrict no one. No one is safe unless everyone is protected.