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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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