Learning to drive is an exciting experience. It’s a stepping stone and a big accomplishment as a teenager. As fun as it can be, we need to understand the importance of being safe on the road.
Accidental injuries, including car accidents, are the leading cause of death among teens.
Why is this?
There are many important factors that make teens a high risk on the roads such as speeding, lack of experience, distractions, and lack of awareness. Parents need to educate their teen drivers about these risks and the importance of safety.
How do we prevent crashes?
Start conversations about driver safety early and set ground rules with consequences for breaking them.
1. Remind your teen that they must never, ever drive while impaired and of the real consequences of driving under the influence. Also, urge them never to be a passenger in a car with someone who has been drinking or doing drugs. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in 10 teens in high school drink and drive. Young drivers (ages 16-20) are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when they have a blood alcohol concentration of .08% than when they have not been drinking. Invite your teen to call you any time, from any location for a ride if a designated sober driver is not available or they don’t feel safe.
2. Make wearing a seat belt part of the mandatory routine of being in the car long before your child starts driving so that it’s an ingrained habit by the time they get behind the wheel. It will decrease their risk of fatal injury in an accident by 45%.
3. Encourage them to keep their eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and mind on the task of driving at all times. Practicing these good habits through repetition is key.
4. Have them put away their phones, devices and other distractions when they are driving. One in three teens who text say they have done so while driving. Is your teen one of them? Research has found that dialing a phone number while driving increases your teen’s risk of crashing by six times, and texting while driving increases the risk by 23 times. Talk to your teen and set consequences if they break rules like texting while driving.
5. Stress the importance of sticking to the speed limit. Speeding is a critical safety issue for teen drivers. In 2022, it was a factor in 30% of the passenger vehicle teen drivers (15-18 years old) involved in fatal crashes. A study by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) found that from 2000-2011, teens were involved in 19,447 speeding-related crashes.
6. Limit the number of passengers your teen driver is allowed to have in the car. According to research, the likelihood of teen drivers engaging in one or more risky behaviors is three times higher when they are traveling with multiple passengers their age, compared to when they drive alone.
7. Being aware while on the road is another crucial factor to preventing crashes. Teach your teen to scan their surroundings when they are driving.
8. Help your teen driver get to know their car before they operate the vehicle. Make sure they are familiar with all the controls, buttons, and indicator lights. Have them adjust the mirror and seat settings to their comfort. Teach them the basics of car maintenance — how to pop open the hood, check their tire pressure and oil levels, etc.
9. Nighttime driving takes some extra experience and skill. Parents need to give their teen plenty of supervised opportunities to practice driving at night and in all kinds of weather and situations. Teen drivers are three times more likely than adults to crash at night.
10. Finally, and most importantly, be a good role model. You can set safety rules, but you must also make sure to follow them. When kids experience safe drivers growing up, they are more likely to be safe drivers.
There are many safety factors of driving that the average driver may not realize, especially new drivers. By educating the importance of safety, we can help prevent teens from further crashes.