SWEETWATER COUNTY — When it comes to driver inexperience, that may not only be tied to 16-year-old drivers, but at whatever age a person starts learning to drive.

“That’s a good historical question, if 16 is the right age to get a first driver’s license,” Wyoming Department of Transportation District 3 Senior Public Relations Specialist Stephanie Harsha said, adding that the age criterion is probably not going to ever change. “It just stands to reason that at whatever age driving starts, there will be more accidents because of inexperience.”

Be that as it may, teen drivers just starting out face some problems that seem more concentrated in their age groups.

“Young drivers tend to be less mature and more inexperienced in their decision making,” Lt. Kyle P. McKay of the Wyoming Highway Patrol’s Safety and Training Division said. “They can be easily distracted by cell phones. They tend to not think of the consequences of the choices they make.”

And then there is the “superman syndrome,” McKay said. “Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or not be able to recognize dangerous situations. Teens are also more likely than adults to make critical decision errors that can lead to serious crashes.”

Speeding is the number one cause of traffic accidents in Wyoming, McKay continued. Drivers of all ages could benefit by observing speed limits. Other traffic accident reasons include distractions, driving with friends, weekend and night driving, drinking and illegal drug use, and lack of seat-belt use.

Teen drivers are particularly prone to be distracted while driving. McKay mentioned three different categories of distractions: visual, manual, and cognitive.

“Cognitive distractions are the most dangerous kind and the most difficult to define,” Lt. McKay said. “A cognitive distraction is anything that takes your mind away from driving. That usually means daydreaming, but can also include singing your favorite song or arguing with a passenger. Cognitive distractions are the most dangerous because drivers lose focus of their vehicles, meaning they don’t slow down even when a crash is imminent.”

Visual distractions include anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, such as a crash scene, someone interesting-looking on the side of the street or road, or looking at a passenger.

“When you take your eyes off the road, you lose awareness of traffic signals and the car ahead of you, which makes you more likely to be involved in a rear-end collision or a T-bone (accident),” Lt. McKay said. Manual distractions take a driver’s hands off the wheel. “Any time you reach for your cell phone to change the song or take a sip of your drink, you’re falling for a manual distraction,” Lt. McKay said. “Manual distractions slow your reaction time to unexpected obstacles, like a merging car or an animal crossing the road.”

Drug use also comes into play for some younger drivers under the influence as well as older ones. Stimulant drugs include meth, cocaine, crack-cocaine, amphetamines, Ecstasy, MDMA, and Molly. Psychoactive drugs such as peyote and marijuana, and depressants such as Poppers and Ketamine can impair a driver’s judgment and reaction times. As always, excess alcohol can be a dangerous factor in driving.

But even for teen drivers who would never think of driving under the influence, Harsha, and Lt. McKay, and Green River High School driver’s education teacher Nick Hokanson all agreed that when it comes to safe driving, there is no substitute for experience, which is something that teen drivers don’t have a lot of yet.

Thus, the need for teen drivers to be extra cautious and not take unnecessary chances out on the road can improve their chances of being “Alive at 25.”

Editor’s Note: This is the third story in a three-part series looking at the challenges of teen driving in Sweetwater County. To read Part 1, click here; and to read Part 2, click here.