Do you have a teen driver in the house? My step son will turn 16 in a few short months and my 11 year old will be on the road before I know it. I have anxiety attacks just thinking about it! We can teach them the best we can and then they are on their own but you need to stay involved with your teen’s driving experience.
Did you know that car crashes are the number one killer of teens. Number One! Teens actually crash most often because they are inexperienced – not because they take more risks behind the wheel. I would have thought texting would have been the biggest factor but knowing it’s because of them being inexperienced it lets me know that I need to do my best at teaching them driver safety. Here are some great tips to keep your teen safe while learning to drive.
Keep Passengers at a Minimum
Other teen passengers are one of the biggest distractions for teen drivers. Missouri has a graduated driver license law that allows only one teen passenger in the car for 6 months when you are a 16 year old driver. I love this law! I remember when I got my license all my friends would load up in a vehicle together. That was so dangerous!
Just one teen passenger raises a teen driver’s fatal crash risk 44 percent. Two passengers doubles the fatal crash risk and three or more quadruples the crash risk.
Let’s keep our teens safe and keep young passengers at a minimum. Learn more about teen crash risks in the video below.
Safe Drive Time
When I was still in school my dad would always wait up for me at night. I remember him telling me one night that nothing good happens after midnight, if you’re out driving. I found myself telling my son this the other day. It is so true.
Most fatal nighttime crashes involving teen drivers happen between 9 p.m. and midnight. Although I think if your teen is old enough they could stay out a little later than 9 p.m. on the weekends, I do believe that accident risk increases as the night goes on. Think of all the drunk drivers on the road late at night!
Safety First
It’s second nature for my son and I to put our safety straps on when we get in the vehicle. I like to believe that he puts his on without question because we have done this since he was little.
Make sure your kids buckle up every time! More than half of teens killed in car crashes were not restrained by a seat belt.
Parents Make a Difference
We as parents are the number one influencer on teens’ driving behavior. We can make a difference! Kids learn by seeing and learning for their parents. As a parent we need to practice driving with our teen even AFTER they get their license. At 36 years old my mom is still telling me how to drive. If you look up back seat driver in the dictionary you would probably see her face!
We should be driving how we want our teens to drive. No speeding, no texting while driving! Parents need to set rules in the home so your teens do not answer the phone while driving and especially no texting.
Watch the funny video below on how to teach your teen to be a safe driver.
Keep practicing with your teen even after they get their license and help keep your teen driver safe!
This is a public service announcement for National Safety Council www.nsc.org in observance of “Global Youth Safety Month”.
Please share Steer Your Teen Down the Right Road with their peers.
Parents! Stay involved with your teen’s driving experience. Even AFTER they get their license, practice with them and set rules in your house that are stronger than the state’s GDL law.