Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Taylor Brady
Dr. Colombo
UWRT1104
1 March, 2017
Work Cited
Brady 1 2
Michael Pines states that the causes of accidents are what you would expect however
there are some reasons that you would expect to be higher or not on the list. These would
redundant to experienced drivers, this list aims to educate all levels of drivers, from the
teenage driver who just got his license, to the senior driver with 40 years of experience
behind the wheel. This shows that the ways people get hurt are not common knowledge
(25 causes).
Robert Foss talks about how the GDL system is helping to bring down the number of teen
related crashes. Crash rates declined sharply for all levels of severity among 16-year-old
These sources suggest that the most common reasons for crashes are distracted driving and
speeding. This however is complemented with the fact that just teen driving alone can account
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According to Foss and his study, the GDL system is effective in its mission to reduce
fatal crashes. Following GDL, 16-year-old driver crashes were substantially less likely.
Comparing 1996 with 1999, fatal crashes declined 57%, from 5 to 2 per 10 000
population (rate ratio [RR], 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27-0.70); crashes with
no or minor injuries decreased 23%, from 1068 to 826 per 10 000 (RR, 0.77; 95% CI,
0.75-0.80) (Foss).
As a part of the GDL system, there have been some additions to try and further its
effectiveness even more. A new law in North Carolina will make the drivers permit even
tougher to get. A state law that takes effect Sunday requires them to turn in a paper
record of their driving time before they can move up to the next level of the graduated
As a way to make sure that the number of teen deaths on the road decreases, The GDL system is
effective in doing so. Not only is the data proving of this, but even today there are additions to it
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The number of bad drivers on the road is higher than it has ever been. A way to keep
them off the road is by making it harder to get a license in the first place. With the new
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North Carolina law, it makes young drivers fill out a log showing that they have been
behind the wheel before getting their full provisional license. "The General Assembly
wanted to make sure that drivers young drivers on our highways were getting more
practice time behind the wheel, and so that was the impetus behind starting these logs
(Leslie).
The GDL system is also keeping the bad drivers off the road by limiting the time of day
they are allowed to be on the road. This system does not allow new drivers for the first
six months to driver after the hour of 9:00 PM. The North Carolina GDL system,
enacted December 1, 1997, requires beginning drivers 15 to 17 years of age to hold level
1 licenses, allowing driving only while supervised by a designated adult for a full year;
The laws that have been enacted to keep bad drivers off the road have been effective. With the
GDL and the additions to it, we have seen a drop in teen related accidents which helps to the
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There is bias in how we see bad drivers. The main bias is one we cant help and that is
gender bias. Men tend to break the law and crash while women tend to crash due to lack
of skill. In the effort to make sense of the gender divide, evolutionary psychologists
propose that we consider some of the differences, risks and irrational behaviors
associated with driving as part of the neural circuitry we once needed for survival. Man,
the hunter gatherer needed to speed, navigate unwelcoming areas, and risk boundaries.
Woman, the child bearer and caregiver needed to socialize and communicate (Phillips).
There is also bias from how good of a driver you are. Eric Peters, an automotive
columnist, gives a list of what makes people bade drivers. A majority of the reasons he
gives is based on the concept of not having the skill to operate a motor vehicle. Like
following too closely, failing to signal your intentions to other motorists is dangerous
and rude. Theres no good reason not to signal and several good reason to do so
(Peters). Peters is an automotive columnist which gives him bias toward people that like
There is always going to be bias when talking about bad drivers. This however could be
intentional or not just based on our evolutionary traits. Even though there is some bias, we still
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drivers. This includes reasons form both sides of the argument. Everyone has an opinion
about good vs. bad driving but here are some things we should be able to agree
on (Peters).
Although there is dispute on the definition of bad driving, facts dont lie. In Michael
Pines website showing top reasons for car crashes, it has reasons that include both lack
of skill and not following the rules of the road. The number one cause of car accidents is
not a criminal that drove drunk, sped or ran a red light. Distracted drivers are the top
cause of car accidents in the U.S. today. A distracted driver is a motorist that diverts his or
her attention from the road, usually to talk on a cell phone, send a text message or eat
There is always going to be some kind of gap that separates people and their views of bad
drivers. There are however things that drivers do that we can agree on and that is supported by
facts.
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Work Cited
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seriousaccidents.com/legal-advice/top-causes-of-car-accidents/.
Foss, Robert D, et al. Initial Effects of Graduated Driver Licensing on 16-Year-Old Driver
Leslie, Laura. New Law Requires Teen Drivers to Log Time behind Wheel. WRAL.com, 28
Peters, Eric. What Makes Someone A Bad Driver? National Motorists Association, 8 Apr.
2010, www.motorists.org/blog/bad-drivers/.
Phillips, Suzanne. Men and Women Drivers: The Gender Divide. Psych Central.Com, 29 July
2011, blogs.psychcentral.com/healing-together/2011/07/men-and-women-drivers-the-gender-
divide/.
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