Around ages 15 to 18, many teens start driving. In 2014, there were approximately 11,649,902 licensed drivers aged between 16 and 20, according to Insurance Information Institute. With the number of teen drivers rising, it is inevitable that the number of accidents would rise also. Over the past 6 years, the number of teen car accidents (and deaths) have risen by more than 100 a year. In 2014, 3,803 deaths were reported.

There are many different factors that can cause accidents, such as: texting while driving, showing off, and being intoxicated, to name a few. One in every four car accidents were caused by being distracted from their cell phones. According to the National Safety Council, cell phone usage while driving is responsible for 1.6 million accidents yearly, and a big percentage of that is from teenagers. As of right now, the only consequences for teens texting and driving includes fines, but Missouri is working hard to raise those consequences to deter teens from practicing these unsafe habits. Some of the bills they are trying to get passed include but are not limited to: suspending a license, raising fines and putting several points at a time on your license.

“A text can always wait until you can pull over somewhere or reach where you’re needing to go. A text isn’t worth your life,” said junior Ashlee Caldwell, who has been driving since June 2016.

Even though teenage drivers only take up 10 percent of all licensed drivers, they are responsible for 17 percent of drunk driving accidents. With approximately 2,000 teenagers dying behind the wheel each year, it is one third of all teenage driving fatalities and 30 percent of all driving fatalities in Missouri. Due to recent Missouri laws, the state has raised the consequences for being a minor in possession such as: possible jail time, fines, community service and rehabilitation.

MO Eyes on the Road, the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration, has really been stepping up in recent years to end the epidemic of unsafe teen driving. They have even worked with a couple cell phone carriers to create applications to promote hands free texting, which would help the thousands of teens that text and drive every single day. Most insurance companies also offer devices that monitor a teen’s driving habits which can ultimately lower the insurance rate.

“You think that it’s okay to text and drive? Do you value your own life? There have been people who have crashed and died on Imperial Main Street. We even had a student who has died from texting and driving,” English teacher Whitney Crabtree said.