It was only about 4 years ago that I was a teenager and never really thought too much about how my driving affected others. With technology on the rise and touch phones such as the iPhone becoming increasingly popular, teens are spending more time paying attention to anything BUT the road.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to single out the teenage population as many other generations have fallen prey to distractions while driving as well (smoking, eating, multi-tasking, texting, etc.). But in my opinion, it is best to target a population before the bad habits continue even further.
The statistics for teen driving are extremely scary and there has to be a way for parents and others to correct the path of destruction before it gets any worse. According to AAA, car accidents involving 15-17 year old drivers cost society more than $34 billion dollars! These expenses include medical and property damages as well as other related costs for 2006 alone!
So, how can you keep your children and others safe?
Here are a few tips:
SET AN EXAMPLE – Don’t show your kids what it is like to drive by e-mailing on your Blackberry or always being on the phone. Teens will learn quickly from what they have seen their parents or other family members and friends do.
SEATBELTS – I know that when I was younger I hated my seatbelt and didn’t really truly understand what it was there for. Explain to your children when they are young the importance of seatbelts and how they can be life-saving. Hopefully it will become a routine they don’t even have to think about. I automatically put on my seatbelt regardless of how long the trip.
INSURANCE - Car insurance is expensive no matter what. Put a teen behind the wheel and the price can skyrocket your rathes…sometimes by 50% - 100%! You don’t want to have to pay higher rates just because your teen is not being safe or smart behind the wheel. Make a deal with your teenager. Make sure they are following all your rules before you hand them those keys to your car! Give them the information they need to keep their insurance rates low. Some of these things include having a safer car, keeping your driving record clean (no tickets or accidents), or even doing well in school! Depending on your policy, your child could be awarded just for being a good student.
DRIVERS TRAINING CLASSES – There are tons of extra classes outside of the basic drivers education that offer teens a greater variety of learning such as driving in the rain, sleet, and snow. Skills such as what to do if you are broken down on the side of the road are also often taught. These classes can range anywhere from $60-$200 but may be extremely beneficial.
CURFEWS – In some towns there is a mandatory curfew and teens are not allowed to be out driving around past 10:00pm. However, even if your town does not have a curfew, often times it would be best if your teen had to be home at a certain hour so you knew where they were. I suggest letting them know that they can bring their friends home too (if it is feasible for you). This way they aren’t all driving around doing nothing. I know when I was in high school if we couldn’t find anything to do we would just drive around with our friends. Now that I look back on it?…How dumb and a huge waste of gas!! Make sure your teens have a trip with an actual purpose in mind.
TALK – Don’t just hand your teen the key to the car as soon as they get their license. Lay down the ground rules and make sure they understand. Tell them not to become another statistic. Maybe read them some of these…
• In a survey conducted for AAA, it was found that 15-17 year olds were involved in about 974,000 crashes that injured 406,427 people and killed 2,541 in one year alone (SCARY)!
Reader’s Digest reported some more surprising statistics:
• 87% of teen deaths involve distracted drivers (this includes radios, eating, texting, talking on your cell, etc.).
• Adding 1 passenger increases the fatal crash risk by 48%. A second passenger increases the fatality risk by 158%.
• Speeding is a factor in 35% of crash deaths involving young drivers.
All of these statistics are really scary and get you thinking about what you might be able to do to prevent this from happening. Obviously you aren’t going to have complete control over what happens…but at least you can take a step towards making things safer on the roads.
Photo: Wally Irwin
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