When your child reaches driving age more worries emerge. Setting ground
rules is crucial for your young driver’s well being. Motor vehicle crashes
are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20-year olds in the United States.
Two out of three of those deaths are passengers in vehicles driven by other
teens.
Driving is new to teens, and therefore they are more likely to make
mistakes, use poor judgment, or have trouble reacting to sudden changes when
they drive. Parents can influence their teenager's driving safety.
Things You can do to assist
your young driver
Limit Night Driving:
Nighttime driving requires more skill than driving during the day and
is particularly risky for teens, especially after 9 p.m. Teens out at night
is usually for recreational reasons, leading to increased distraction, speeding
and risk-taking.
Restrict the Number of Passengers in Your Teen's
Car:
Crashes are more likely when other teenagers are in the car, and the
risk increases with every additional passenger. Teens are influenced more
easily by peer pressure when there are more than two passengers in the
car.
Insist That Your Teenager And His or Her Passengers Always Wear A Seat Belt:
Parents should emphasize the importance of seat belt use. Be sure to
lead by example through consistent use of a seat belt yourself Make it clear
to your teen that he or she should never have more passengers than there
are seat belts and always wear one properly
Talk With Your Teen About Drinking, Drug Use, Speeding, And Driving:
Tell your child to call you for a ride if he or she, or another person
who is driving, has been drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Alcohol and drugs
impair all drivers and, in part because of driving inexperience, the risk
of crashing is much higher for a teenager who has used drugs or alcohol.
Speeding: Teen drivers have more crashes in which speed is a factor, and
many are single-car accidents caused by the driver losing control of the
car.
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