Equal Justice Out in the World?
December 19, 2022
Anyone can argue that teenagers have the most eyes on them out in the real world, either through police officers, teachers, their parents, etc. But why? Why us teens when we have just the same freedom as any adult? Many excuses may say, “oh, they’re still maturing,” or “never make the right choices as adults.” Honestly, teens grow into adulthood and are given responsibilities earlier in life, such as getting their car license. Taking the idea of teenagers earning their commission, police officers pull over teens even more than adults. Yes, adults are older and have even more experience, but teenagers know the rules on and off the road to keep themselves and individuals safe. They have a fresher mindset! Using statistical information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens ages 16–19 than among any other age group. Teen drivers in this age group have a fatal crash rate almost three times as high as drivers ages 20 and older per mile driven.” This consequently makes sense as to why police officers want to pull over teenagers to prevent the fatal crash rate, complete. However, the question still arises, why are police officers so focused on grabbing their next teenage suspect? Do the adults even know? Other than just age, what other possibilities can there be? Every internet source states teens are the absolute worst drivers to look after. Still, from my experience and driving for almost 2+ years, I have never gotten pulled over and saved my siblings and friends from deadly accidents. So, how does teenage freedom even differ from adult freedom when we are given the same responsibilities?