Research has shown that young people are more likely to end up in car accidents and this can be for several reasons: Biology, speed and distractions. 

 Young peoples’ prefrontal cortex is not fully developed yet meaning they are more likely to take risks that an adult wouldn’t as they are more cautions of the consequences, they will have to face, and therefore they take precautions like putting their seatbelt on. ‘One in four 18-24-year olds (23%) crash within two years of passing their driving test.’ Young drivers are more likely to take risks as they gain experience believing their skills are improving which leads to the next reason: speed.  

Young drivers are more likely to go over the speed limit leading to them causing something that could've been prevented. Research has found that young drivers who show overconfidence in self-assessment of their skills are more likely to crash in their first two years of driving than those who are insecure about their driving skills. In other words, young drivers who are over confident are more likely to take risks and go over the speed limit, and the adrenaline causes them to overlook hazards.  

 Another reason that young people are more likely to end up in car accidents is distractions. One of the main distractions that have caused many tragedies is phones. Young people seem to be attached to these small devices they carry around everywhere and it also seems as though those small devices have taken over our lives as we are constantly checking our feeds and the latest trends. Similarly, the passengers inside the car can distract the driver from the road by wanting to show them something. 

My school and other schools in the borough got the opportunity to watch a production called Safe Drive Stay Alive. We had people that had witnessed or had been personally or had lost someone dear to them in a car accident. Some of the people who had witnessed a car accident that involved young drivers were paramedics, police officer and fire men. They all explained the horrific scenes they had witnessed. Also, there was a man in his twenties who had survived the crash but had left him disabled, he said that he saved himself ad he put his seat belt on during the collision. Lastly, we had the father of a teenage girl who was killed by a car as the driver had fallen asleep on the wheel. They were all heart breaking stories that have made a huge impact on me. 

In conclusion I’ll end this on a message they ended it on, ‘It’s your choice, Safe Drive Stay Alive!’