Young Drivers: The High Risk Years This video is about teen drivers in the USA. They get driving license at 16 years old. For them it is another step to their independence and freedom: going anywhere they like to by car, showing off to their friends and feeling cool. Getting license is a relief for parents too, because from that moment they have more free time for themselves instead of giving their children a lift. But inexperience coupled with immaturity leads to fatal accidents on the road. 16 year old drivers are more likely to car crash than 18 or 19 year old. The car crash rate is higher at night and when there are other teens in the vehicle. Adults have much more experience handling situations that can happen on the road, for example driving in bad weather. Teens tend to minimize the risk and overestimate their driving ability. This video highlights the stories of three teens whose lives ended too soon on the road. And these stories have immaturity, inexperience and speeding in common. Graduating licensing restrictions on young beginning drivers help prevent some of these crashes. And so can restrictions imposed by parents. The best graduating licensing system requires 50 or more hours of supervised driving during the learner stage, licensure at 16 and a half years or older and limitations on night driving and driving with the other teenagers in the vehicle until the beginning driver is 18. Restrictions imposed by law, on night driving can also reduce car crashes. Most nighttime car accidents of young drivers happen between 9 p.m. and midnight. The risk of a crash goes up with teen passengers in the vehicle, even with one peer it's more likely to be distracted and not to pay attention to the traffic. Teenagers don’t often perceive they are at risk. Teens are used to think they are invincible and that nothing bad is gonna happen to them. The attitude like this leads to irresponsible driving. Instead of keeping the traffic rules young drivers like to drive recklessly: speeding, not wearing a seat belt, taking corners too fast, following too closely, blasting the music, messaging etc. Their driving behavior is far different from when the parent is in the car. Part 2: https://www.italki.com/entry/962479