Safe Teen Driving Blog

Listen up, parents. If you were worried about teenagers driving on the weekend nights with their friends, you'll have new reasons to monitor teen driving after reading a recent press release by AAA. According to new research, teens are just about as likely to get into fatal accidents while driving during after school hours.

Teen drivers had 1,237 fatal accidents between 2002 and 2005 when driving on Friday and Saturday nights. But, what's surprising is that there were almost just as many fatal accidents for weekdays between 3 and 5 p.m. – 1,100 in total. That means they're not much safer being limited to driving to and from school each day.

What can you do to help your teen driver avoid a fatal accident? Here are a few suggestions giving by AAA that may help save your teens life.

• While most states have laws that limit the number of passengers a new teen driver may have, make sure this law is a family rule. The more passengers a new driver has, the more likely they are to be involved in an accident.

• Keep your teen from using the cell phone while driving, even the hands-free type. Even an experienced adult driver has trouble driving while talking on the phone.

• Make sure your teen uses their seatbelt each time they ride in the car. Though teens feel invincible, we certainly are not. Teens have the highest crash rates, but yet the lowest rates of seatbelt usage.

• Finally, make sure other adults in the family know the ground rules set. Tell the parents of your teen's friends, or even your neighbors. If everyone keeps an eye on your teen's driving habits, they are less likely to bend the rules and put themselves at a greater risk of a fatal accident.

If there are laws in your state limiting the hours your teen may drive, or the number of passengers they may carry while they are new to driving, you may feel your teen is much safer than others are. However, laws are still broken, so always monitor your teens driving and keep the ground rules firm. For more information, read the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Driver Education Handbook for Parents.

Having clear-cut rules about the family car and/or driving privileges in general seems like a smart plan for teenagers. After all, most of our parents just tell us to be careful and then impose restrictions after the fact for some indiscretion. Having to guess what the family rules are sometimes can be compared to a weather report - partly cloudy.

There is this recent news story about parents setting rules before we get into the car. Well, of course, we would love to be free to do what we want, but at least if we knew the rules in advance, we could not grumble about not knowing that we did something wrong! And parents - be consistent with us teenagers ok? We're confused enough as it is without the parental unit changing their minds.

Some parents really think about our driving and come up with a lot of do's and don'ts for us while others sort of make it up as they go along. Parents take the advice of this teenager - we will push every limit possible when it comes to our driving privileges so you better really, really think about the rules you want to set!

Here are some of the most common rules that we teenagers are familiar with: obeying speed limits, not having more passengers in the car than allowed, and no drinking. However, there are a few things that we are going to do unless you tell us or catch us doing them. We are likely going to use our cell phones and drive at the same time. The same goes for eating or drinking a soda. We have also been known to change the radio station with one hand or text message a friend behind the wheel of a car. Many times, parents do not think of these things and these are what can get us in trouble.

Now other teenagers are probably yelling at me for telling all our secrets, but come on! Why get in trouble for those same things later when we can avoid doing them now. Besides, no matter how much the parental unit may rain on our parades, they mean well and only want the best for us. Add the fatality record of teenager drivers and the parents can definitely back up their case. Why don't we give them a break for a change and actually follow the rules - well, these rules anyway.

This post is an excerpt from a recent edition of the Safe Driving Teen Monthly Bulletin. Each month the National Safety Commission publishes the bulletin for teens and parents designed to improve teen driver behavior, attitude, skills, and experience. Subscription Details

Jeffrey Lee, 15, of Pleasant Grove, Alabama, died September 24 when he was pinned under a relative's car. Lee apparently put the car in gear, jumped out and was then run over.
Source: Al.com

Safe Driving Lesson Learned

Getting ready to drive is as much a part of motor vehicle safety as actually driving. From the time you enter your vehicle, you are dealing with a potentially deadly machine. Caution must be exercised around the vehicle at all times. Never exit the vehicle without putting it in the proper gear, turning off the ignition, and, if necessary, setting the parking brake.

Before you start your engine:

• Make sure all windows are clean. Remove anything that blocks your view of the road.
• Adjust the seat so you can reach all controls.
• Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors. You should not have to lean forward or backward to use them.
• Lock all car doors.
• Put on your safety belts. Ask all passengers to do the same.
• Make sure your car is in park or neutral gear before starting the engine.
  

Never move your car until you have looked in front, behind and to the side for pedestrians and oncoming traffic. Then, signal and pull into traffic when safe.

Good drivers develop habits that focus their full attention on driving. Some drivers can develop bad habits that can be very dangerous when driving. Some bad habits that distract your attention away from driving are:

• Driving when ill, upset or angry.
• Driving while eating and drinking.
• Driving while adjusting the radio or changing CDs/tapes.
• Driving while calling, answering or talking on a mobile phone.
• Reading while driving.
• Driving while drowsy or fatigued.
  

Good driving is based on practice and being alert at the wheel from the time you enter the vehicle until you exit.

This post is an excerpt from a recent edition of the Safe Driving Teen Monthly Bulletin. Each month the National Safety Commission publishes the bulletin for teens and parents designed to improve teen driver behavior, attitude, skills, and experience. Subscription Details