WILL FERNANDEZ
Gargoyle assistant editor
Posted Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

YOU MIGHT NOT have noticed while you were paying attention to all the news about H1N1 and students out sick, but last week was National Teen Driver Safety Week, underscoring what is the No. 1 killer of teens in the United States: driving.

Most Uni students upon reaching the age of 15 are eager to get their driving permit and begin the task of taking the lessons that ultimately will be their ticket to freedom.

But it is also a task that we approach with some trepidation as our parents grip their seats and grit their teeth when they take us for a spin.

They want us to have the freedom, but they also know the risks and dangers.

I saw how just risky it can be just a few weeks ago when I was driving in the far right lane on Springfield Avenue heading to the intersection at Neil Street only to have some idiot in the middle lane cut in front of me to make a right turn.

My heart raced. I quickly slammed the brakes. I broke into a cold sweat and my every limb tightened. Then my father said, "Nice job, Will." And I proceeded forward with greater caution than when I entered the car for the ride.

According to research from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, during the first six months that a new driver has a license, he or she is more at risk of getting into an accident than at any other time. In fact, one in four automobile fatalities involves a 16- to 24-year-old.

With so much attention devoted to H1N1 and numerous other health issues such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, to think that they do not even come close to posing the risk to teens that something so simple as driving does is remarkable.

Traffic fatalities make up 39.98 percent of the total number of deaths for teens age 15 to 19.

In 2008, 5,864 teens were killed in car accidents.

In 1995 there were 7,979 teen deaths from car accidents, which means teen fatalities due to car accidents declined 27 percent from 1995 to 2008.

But even with that drop, teen car accidents still pose a major threat that no one should take lightly. So the next time you take your keys and put them in the car, just remember the risk your taking and please be safe.