Slowly but surely some of my friends and I are making our way through the first three seasons of the AMC series “Mad Men.” If you haven’t seen it, it’s mainly about advertising in the 60s and the lives of the “ad men” as they “really” lived in during that time period.

While each of the employees at this fictional advertising agency have many vices, one of these vices stands out most to this Teens Drive Smart blogger: their abysmal driving behaviors.

Now, let me just say, I really enjoy working on this blog and working on the Teens Drive Smart program in general, but it takes over my mind after a while, which is good, I think. My friends, on the other hand, hate driving with me because I’ve become the annoyingly informed nag in the bucket seat barking remarks at my friends, such as “don’t text and drive, I’ll do it for you,” “stop searching through your iPod, pass it to me and I’ll find the song,” and “hey, did you know that at the speed your going, that by checking your text you just traveled the length of a football field… blind?” They get annoyed, but they put the phone away, so at least we’re all safe.

But because of my outbursts during the driving scenes while we’re all watching Mad Men, I’ve been officially banned from group viewings. I am now forced to watch the episodes on my own in my apartment where I can’t bother anyone.

I don’t mind watching the show on my own, but what is really troubling is the fact that people drove so irresponsibly back in the day. I’m just glad we have the knowledge and resources to educate ourselves about driver safety. I also wonder a bit about what people will say about our driving behaviors in the next 50 or 60 years. Imagine what kind of cars and safety features will be around in the future that keep us safer on the roads? Will teens and young people face some new driving threat as we create even more mobile technology?

I suppose it’s best to focus on the clear and present dangers and use the knowledge we have now. I guess if we learn anything from Mad Men, aside from stellar advertising skills, it’s that it is never okay to let children drive, drive while drunk or drinking, or to engage in any (ahem) distracted driving behaviors behind the wheel.