A few months ago I was introduced to a tragic event where a 20 year old was driving way too fast, lost control and crashed. He died and his brother was seriously injured in the accident.

Driving Concepts Teen Car Control Program asked me to help the family respond to the vitriolic replies from total strangers on his obituary in the OC Register:

• Oh well the average IQ just went up – who’s volunteering to be next?
• I believe that the parents of the friends of this young man should have their children view the process of body preparation in a morgue so that they can see what really happens when you play with life
• The thinning of the herd continues…..
• Another One Bites The Dust! Whatever

Recent studies of brain development in teens through young adults reveal some surprising facts about the adolescent brain. 
We used to think that the brain would mature by the age of 18, but very recent studies at National Institute of Health now show us that the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that controls judgment, values, long-term goals and the ability to put one’s brakes on one’s impulses, does not get fully formed until age 25.

What happened happens 4000 times every year.
Was he driving too fast? Yes
Did he realize the consequences of his actions could result in his own death, or cause injury to others? No

No? How is that possible?
If a toddler runs out into the street and gets hit by a car, no one would say they deserved it because they did a dangerous thing or say, they should have known better.

Because their brains are moving so fast, they do dangerous behaviors all the time. Young kids are literally driven by their brains to do behaviors that will stimulate their brains.

Teenagers and young adults are like toddlers.
Their behavior is based on their brain development too. They seem to be constantly getting into trouble as they experiment with risky behavior and are literally driven to do behaviors that will stimulate their brains.
The difference is teen and young adult brains are actually slowing down. As their brain begins to prune itself in order to keep learning, it needs stimulation.

That is the same reason young people listen to music constantly, talk on the phone, play video games, drive fast and do other risky things. Whether appropriate or not doesn’t seem to matter, because that is how powerful the biological drive is to stimulate their brains.

The ‘rush’ to stimulate a slowing brain becomes overwhelmingly necessary to teens and young adults.

Knowing all this can help us make sense out of seemingly senseless tragedies. We now can understand that their “brain driven” behavior is responsible for what many term as their irresponsible behavior.
More importantly after this tragedy happened, just like parents who teach their kids not to run into the street, we need to apply the same logic to teens and young adults.

• When tragedy strikes don’t point fingers, just remember the biology of teens and young adults.
• We need to emphasize the importance of education and repetitive motor skill training for prevention of future auto related tragedies.

Dr. Ann Corwin, The Parenting Doctor