Safe Teen Driving Blog

Teen drivers must pass a driver's education course and behind the wheel training before they get their license. However, what prepares them for emergency situations once they begin driving on their own? This would be one of those times when learning by experience is not the best or safest idea. Unfortunately, chances are unless you and your teen live in an area with adverse weather, they will not get a chance to practice emergency situations until it is too late.

Now there are many new driver prep course options for parents and teen drivers who wish to be fully prepared when behind the wheel. Many cities are offering emergency maneuvers driving courses, usually at a fairly reasonable cost, that teach teens how to handle emergencies while on the road. Among the types of lessons learned, teen drivers will learn things such as how to steer out of a skid and avoiding overcorrecting when swerving to miss something or someone in the road.

It is hard to prepare teen drivers for emergencies, as experience really is the greatest teacher. Fortunately now parents can enroll their teens in these new programs for greater confidence on the road. A few such programs are the Street Survival and Driver's Edge programs. Street Survival is sponsored by the BMW Car Club of America Foundation, and is staffed with automobile lovers and high-performance driving instructors. Because the teachers are volunteer, the courses are offered at an affordable rate ($60 for parent and teen, including breakfast and lunch).

Driver's Edge is sponsored by Bridgestone, which is offered in a dozen cities for free. More and more these types of programs are becoming available. Though they are voluntary and not required for a teen to be licensed, parents will find the costs are worth the added confidence their teen drivers will have while driving.

While some insurance companies are offering discounts to safe drivers and those with a higher grade point average, most do not yet offer a discount for completion of an emergency maneuvers driver education course. There is still a misconception that the added confidence will add to more risky driving by the teens behind the wheel. Only time and statistics will tell if these programs are effective against the onslaught of teenage driving deaths. Until then, I recommend all concerned parents have their teens enroll in such a program, or at the very least teach their child the basics themselves.

Schools play an important part in education teens about the dangers of driving. Unfortunately, not all schools have the resources available to properly get the message across, and so they rely on grants to education their teens. Waldport High School in Oregon is one lucky school that recently received a $3,500 grant from State Farm Insurance.

State Farm offered a "Shift Into Safety" grant program in its Pacific Northwest Zone. Schools from Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington applied for the grants, which ranged from $2,000 to $5,000. In total, 85 schools applied, and $125,000 was awarded to 47 schools.

The rules were simple. Schools were to come up with an educational program that the students themselves would implement. Topics to be addressed included speeding, distractions, aggressive driving, seat belts, impaired driving, and other life-or-death issues pertinent to teen drivers. State Farm was looking for program ideas that would really change the thinking of teens before they get behind the wheel and make possibly life-altering decisions while driving.

Waldport High School students came up with a program which they call "No Need for Speed." Their slogan, "What's the Rush," will be shared with teen drivers at the school and in the community, via flyers, billboards, brochures and speeches. The award will go to implementing and maintaining the program throughout the school year.

Waldport High School was one of 10 Oregon schools to receive a grant, and students at the school are thrilled to be able to become a resource in the community for inexperienced teen drivers. It's great that State Farm is offering awards to students who can make a difference in their peer groups attitudes toward driving. Young drivers are four times more likely to get in a car crash than other drivers, and the more teens learn about the dangers of risky driving, the more their risk of being one of those statistics goes down. Way to go, Waldport High School!

A recent article in The Tribune brought to light just how much Arizona lawmakers need to change their laws with regard to teen driving safety. While most states have graduated licensing laws, or laws that restrict a teens' driving by limiting hours behind the wheel, or by limiting the number of passengers they may carry, at least until they become more experienced. Arizona, however, is one of five states that have no restrictions on teen drivers. While there are many lawmakers and Arizona citizens not interested in creating such laws, there are some who are determined to see the laws put into place.

Bob Beaudette from the Scottsdale learned just how painful losing a teen in a car accident could be. His niece, 16-year-old Hannah Tesch, was in a serious car accident when a 16-year-old male driver crashed near Flagstaff. The car was full of teenagers. Hannah died 9 days after the accident. Bob began researching laws in the state, and wrote his representatives, asking them to do something more to protect teen drivers in Arizona - the only state with a "poor" rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Bob started speaking in schools, and to this day, he is certain that tougher laws for teenagers would have saved Hannah's life.

While many lawmakers are against passing laws that "do a parent's job," there is great research to support such restrictions. Studies in other states with graduated licensing laws for first time drivers show a reduction in overall crash rates by teenagers, and fatalities resulting from them, of up to 25%.

Car accidents are the leading cause of teens aged 16 to 17 years, and account for about 40% of all deaths in that age category. In addition, 16-year-olds are nine times more likely to crash than other age groups, and male drivers account for two-thirds of all fatal crashes, just as was the case in Hannah's death. One can only hope for the safety of all Arizona teens that these laws finally get passed this year.

Following those words may be more beneficial than you think, and it may even save your life. A recent study by Liberty Mutual and SADD concluded that about 65% of middle and high school teens will look to their parents as influences when they begin driving. What's scary is the behavior the parents are unknowingly demonstrating to their teenagers is considered highly risky and factors for fatal car accidents.

Here are a few scary statistics that the report uncovered:

• 62% of high school teens reported that their parents talked on a cell phone while driving
• 48% of teens reported that their parents regularly sped, and
• 31% reported that their parents do not wear a seatbelt
  

Proof that teenagers do, or will, in fact mirror their parents driving behavior is as follows:

• 62% of high school drivers talk on a cell phone while driving, while about 50% of teens who do not yet drive say they will probably engage in such behavior
• 67% of high school drivers report speeding while driving, though about two-thirds of all teens who do not yet drive say will not speed when getting their licenses, and
• 33% of high school drivers say they don't wear a seatbelt
  

What is strange is that a large percentage of teens do not believe these driving practices are risky, and the majority of teen drivers (89%) believe they are safe drivers.

• About 30% of teens believe it is safe to speed
• About 27% of teens believe driving without a seatbelt is safe, and
• About 27% of teens surveyed believe driving while talking on a cell phone is safe
  

This shows just how much a parent's influence has over their child. It also is the reason why groups such as Liberty Mutual and SADD repeatedly stress the importance of a parent's role in keeping their teens safe on the road. Knowing that their behavior is being mirrored may help them change their own driving habits, or at least help them realize they need to be properly educating their teen driver about safety.

Studies have shown that parents have a lot of influence over their teens driving decisions, which has put a lot of responsibility back on them for keeping teens safe on the road. Thankfully, there are many resources available to help parents who may need some additional instruction on how properly to coach their new teen driver. Parents themselves often engage in some risky driving behavior, and a recent Liberty Mutual report showed that teen drivers mimic their parent's behavior. Perhaps parents need to pay close attention to the available safety resources as well.

Liberty Mutual and RADD, or "The Entertainment Industry's Voice for Road Safety," formerly known as Recording Artists Actors & Athletes Against Drunk Driving, have teamed up to produce a teen driving safety kit available through Liberty Mutual offices. The package, "The Road Ahead: Stay Safe at the Wheel," includes a video, family discussion guide, and safe driving pledge.

The video is quite an eye-opener. Candid interviews with teens, and their experiences with risky driving, and its consequences should make all teens realize we are not immune to these types of disasters. However, even the small portion of the video on the Liberty Mutual website showed teens admitting that, despite knowing the risks, they still feel that it won't happen to them.

Also a part of the video is segments from RADD's own video, "SMASHED: Toxic Tales of Teens & Alcohol." The title enough is to scare you into driving straight. A documentary created by HBO Family, "SMASHED" is filmed at the University of Maryland's Shock Trauma Center, following real case studies of teens in severe auto accidents relating to drugs or alcohol. The documentary follows their progress and makes a very strong statement about the reality of drinking and driving.

"The Road Ahead" by Liberty Mutual can be requested by calling 1-800-4-LIBERTY, and other teen driving resources are available on their website. "SMASHED" is available on RADD's website, where you can also find valuable information about the entertainment's industry help in this cause.

Parents, law enforcement officials, and communities nationwide have put their efforts into curbing risky teen driving, and now doctors are showing their determination to end teen fatalities as well. Deaths due to auto accidents are the number one killer of teenagers, and the AAP goes a step further to detail that highway crashes kill about 5,000 16-20 year olds each year, and two-thirds of those are male. About half a million teenagers are injured in such accidents.

Obviously, teenage drivers need some help when it comes to being behind the wheel. Driver education courses and behind-the-wheel training may educate a driver on the do's and don'ts of the road, but they do not give teens the experience they need to know what they do (and don't do) to put themselves at risk. This is where parents come in, and the AAP has issued some guidelines for pediatricians to help parents set rules for their teens when they are behind the wheel.

The AAP suggest doctors educate parents and teens about risky behaviors including being distracted by food, cell phones, or other passengers, and encourages doctors to counsel young drivers on the dangers of drinking (or doing drugs) and driving. Parents are encouraged to set rules, as well as monitor the vehicles in which the teen will be riding or driving.

Also, pediatricians support a "safe-ride" agreement between parents and teens. A teen agrees to call their parent for a ride if they (or their driver) are impaired, and the parent agrees to withhold judgment and drive their teen home. The AAP even offers a sample contract that can be tailored for parents and their teens, including conditions under which they will not drive, and consequences that will take place if rules are not followed.

It's great that doctors have taken the oath to save lives a step further by being proactive in the cause of teen driving safety. Teens cannot be reminded enough how dangerous the road can be, and hopefully hearing it from all of the community will make a difference. If it at least saves one young life, it will be a huge difference.