Safe Teen Driving Blog

The Christmas season is supposed to bring out the best in us but, for drivers, it seems to bring out the worse. The mad rush to commute from work, get to the mall, and complete our shopping in a reasonable amount of time, makes this season one of the most dangerous driving periods of the year. With the arrival of the Christmas shopping season, parents, whose children are learning to drive on a learner's permit, may be reluctant to let their teen drive in such a crazy driving environment.

Only you can decide whether or not your teen may be prepared to drive during this season. For a teen who only has a month or so of driving experience, it is probably not a good idea to allow them to drive in heavy Christmas traffic. However, for a teen with a good deal of driving experience, it is probably the best time to allow them to drive while you are in the seat next to them to give them guidance. This season presents a great teaching experience and an opportunity to open up a dialogue about how not to drive.

Before you and your teen venture out to the mall, you would be wise to discuss the driving environment and let the teen know what he or she can expect. You will need to exercise a great deal of patience, both with each other and with the other drivers on the road.

What kind of driving experiences and teaching moments can you and your teen expect?

Other Drivers

This season brings out the worst in drivers. If a driver cuts you off, tries to steal your parking space, or is honking the horn when you can't move, don't give into the urge to retaliate by gestures, honking your horn, or flashing your lights. You may wind up pushing an irate driver over the edge into a road rage situation where the other driver may try to attack you in some way. Both you and your teen should keep your cool, pay attention to your own safety and get out of the way of an irate driver as quickly as you can.

Remember that you can't take the right-of-way, you can only give it up to someone else. If there is a conflict with another driver trying to take the right-of-way, it is much safer to give it to them.

Intersections

Several problems will be encountered at intersections. First, and most dangerous, will be those impatient drivers who will step on the gas in hopes of beating a red light. Many drivers will deliberately run the red light. Once your light turns green, don't be in a hurry to go. Have your teen look in all directions to make sure that no one is trying to run the red light before proceeding.

The other issue you will have to contend with are those drivers who pull forward into intersections when traffic ahead is stopped and wind up blocking the intersection when the light changes. Your teen will need to stop at the stop line before the intersection and wait until traffic ahead has cleared enough to allow her to proceed completely through the intersection.


Pedestrians

There is probably no time of year where we encounter more pedestrians on the road. Remember that pedestrians in a crosswalk, whether marked or not, always have the right-of-way. Pedestrians can't move as fast as a car can, especially when they are burdened down with packages, so don't expect them to jump out of your way. Remember also that pedestrians may not hear you coming. Their minds are occupied just like yours. Their ears may be wrapped in a muffler or a hat or the pedestrian could be totally deaf.

Be careful and have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Labels: driver safety, driver training, learners permit, parent teen driving, parental responsibility, teen holiday driving

The tragedy occurred on the last day before summer vacation. An SUV transporting a group of teens to the beach rolled over after a tire blowout. In the aftermath, four teens died, four were hospitalized, and the teen driver faced criminal charges.

Almost everyone knows a distressing story like this one; deaths of teens due to motor vehicle crashes are often well-publicized amid great community sympathy for the loss of young lives and the potential they held, as well as the devastation of surviving parents and friends. And they speak to a larger statistical reality - that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds, according to the National Center for Health Statistics - that much of America seems to be both aware of, but unsure of how to change.

Consider the following statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

There were 202.8 million licensed drivers in the United States in 2006 (2007 data not available). Young drivers between 15 and 20 years old accounted for 6.4 percent (13.0 million) of the total, a 7.2-percent increase from the 12.1 million young drivers in 1996.

In 2007, 13 percent (6,982) of all drivers involved in fatal crashes (55,681) were young drivers age 15 to 20 years old, and 15 percent (1,631,000) of all drivers involved in police-reported crashes (10,524,000) were young drivers.

In 2007, 3,174 15- to 20-year-old drivers were killed and an additional 252,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes.

Among 15- to 20-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2007, 31 percent of the drivers who were killed had been drinking.

In 2007, 64 percent of the young drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking were unrestrained. Of the young drivers who had been drinking and were killed in crashes, 75 percent were unrestrained. -During 2007, 35 percent of the motorcycle riders between 15 and 20 years old who were fatally injured in crashes were not wearing helmets.

In addition to mistakes made while driving, teens are susceptible to other lapses in judgment concerning motor vehicles that can lead to injury or death, such as car surfing. According to Science Daily, the states with the highest car-surfing fatality rates are California, Florida, and Texas; all three states have shown an increase in car-surfing deaths since 2000.

Though these three states show high levels of risky teen behavior concerning motor vehicles, a study conducted by Allstate Insurance Company indicated that rural areas have much higher rates of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving teen drivers than metropolitan areas; consequently, states with large rural areas have the highest rates of fatal crashes involving teen drivers. These states are:

• Mississippi


• Alabama


• Kentucky


• Missouri


• Arkansas

Nationally, Allstate's research showed, fatal crash rates for teens were more than twice as high in rural areas than in metropolitan areas.

While considerable attention is paid to the issue of drunk driving among teens, law enforcement agencies report that speeding is the leading cause of motor vehicle crashes involving teen drivers. Allstate's study found that law enforcement identified speeding as a factor in 34% of motor crashes nationwide, while alcohol was cited in just 12% of crashes.

In addition to the risk teens take when driving or when riding in a vehicle with other teens, teens suffer when a member of their peer group dies in a motor vehicle crash, particularly when they suffer multiple losses from crashes such as the example at the beginning of this article. Because of the feeling of invincibility that is characteristic of this age group, teens typically have not considered the deaths of people their age a possibility, so when such a thing occurs, their world may seem to be crashing down around them. This means that even teens who were not particularly close to the person who died can be stunned by their reaction to it. Due to their level of psychological maturity, teens are ill-equipped to understand the grieving process and may be overwhelmed by feelings of being out-of-control, insecure, and scared, in addition to sorrow and grief. They may descend into melancholy that lasts years, greatly affecting their development. Some teens numb their feelings by participating in high-risk activities such as:

• Alcohol and drug abuse


• Reckless sexual activity


• Withdrawal from family and friends


• Taking risks involving motor vehicles

Depending on the loss, some teens experience a change in their circle of friends. Obviously, this can have positive or negative results, but regardless, it is another change in a rapidly changing world for the teen. Teens who lose friends to death may see their grades drop and their focus change as they struggle to fit into a new group of friends at a time when they feel especially vulnerable.

Parents and other authority figures can help teens channel their grief in healthier ways by:

• Being available to listen - not, necessarily, to talk


• Allowing teens the freedom to process their grief with others, such as friends, extended family, and professional counselors


• Encouraging teens to express themselves through writing, drawing, and memorializing their deceased friends


• Realizing that the teens' mourning process may be prolonged and letting teens know that there is no timetable for grief

Though the federal government, state governments, and community-based organizations are making efforts to reduce the number of teens who die in motor vehicle crashes, the statistics above indicate that there is still much work to be done. Forty-six states and the District of Columbia have three-stage Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) programs in which restricted licenses are issued to beginning teen drivers, with the restrictions reduced over time. However, no state has incorporated all of the GDL components recommended by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the National Transportation Safety Board, and NHTSA.

State-level programs that include peer-to-peer teaching and learning about driver safety are effective in reducing teen motor vehicle crash rates. Texas' Teens in the Driver Seat is one such program; teen crash deaths have dropped 32% and the number of teen drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes is down 33% since the program began. A similar program in Illinois called Operation Teen Safe Driving has helped achieve a 10% reduction in teen motor vehicle fatalities in Illinois during the first seven months of 2009. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and other advocacy groups sponsor many public education campaigns to persuade teens not to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Labels: car surfing, motor vehicle crashes, parent teen driving, teen car accidents, teen drivers, teen driving accidents

Teaching your teen to drive safely is one of your most important responsibilities as a parent, and training shouldn't end when your teen gets a driver's license.

The early years of driving are a dangerous time for teens. Almost 40% of all deaths for 16- to 19-year-olds occur in motor vehicle crashes; drivers in this age group are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than older drivers.

Setting and enforcing limits on your teen's driving privileges will help keep your teen safe while reinforcing that driving is a serious matter. Be sure to set limits that comply with your state's Graduated Driver's Licensing laws. A Parent-Teen Driving Contract can help you ensure that your teen knows the rules in your household for getting and maintaining driving privileges and the penalties for breaking those rules.

Completing a Parent-Teen Driving Contract will be most effective if the concept and expectation are presented in advance (preferably at age 14). Make sure your teen understands that she or he will not be allowed to drive until an agreement is reached and both parties have signed the contract and initialed each term presented in it. Start a dialogue early about what the terms might include. Set aside at least thirty minutes to review the contract together before you and your teen sign it. Post the contract in a conspicuous place in your home so you and your teen can review it frequently.

Labels: parent teen driving, teen driving contract

Teaching your teen to drive is an exciting and highly anticipated rite of passage that means greater independence lies ahead. It may also be a time of mixed emotions. Many parents look forward to the day when they won't be their teen's main source of transportation, but they may also feel anxious about how safe their teen will be behind the wheel.

A plan of action will reduce the anxiety you feel about teaching your teen to drive. There are several actions you can take before you even allow your teen behind the wheel.

New drivers copy driving behaviors they have witnessed for years as passengers. Since they have probably ridden most often with parents, those behaviors are the ones they will imitate. To some parents, this is a somewhat frightening prospect. To make matters worse, teens who integrate risky driving practices into their own behavior do so without the benefit of years of experience and highly developed skills. Before you begin teaching your teen to drive, consider your own driving habits and make a commitment to correct any careless or reckless behavior and model good defensive driving practices consistently.

Another important aspect of teaching new drivers is good communication. Teens tune out lectures, so parents should work on developing a conversational rapport about safe driving with their children. Try to be concise; avoid going off on tangents. Ask for your teen's opinion on hazards in your driving environment. For example, if you see children playing near the street, ask your teen to explain the risks and how to handle them. You can fill in details garnered from your own experience after your teen has a chance to be heard. Although it's important to talk about driving risks, avoid horror stories. Instead, look for driving-related newspaper articles or subscribe to the National Safety Commission's Safe Driving Teen Monthly Bulletin and discuss the articles together.

To help your teen understand more about the costs and responsibility of driving, review your insurance policy together, visit your insurance company's website together, or pay a joint visit to your insurance agent's office. Explain, or ask your agent to explain, the purpose of motor vehicle insurance. Discuss the cost of insurance and how the cost of your policy might increase or decrease. Ask your insurance agent whether a driver education course will result in a discount. Find out how much your insurance premium will increase after a single ticket or crash.

For many parents, driving is such an ingrained habit that they must refresh their knowledge about fundamental driving concepts. Doing so can only help you to be a better driving instructor to your teen, which in turn will help your teen be a better, safer driver.

Labels: driving tips, parent teen driving, teen driving

Steer Straight borrows from the successful commercial trucking industry's "How's My Driving?" model. In the commercial trucking industry studies have shown that "How's My Driving?" bumper sticker programs on average reduce incidents by 35% the first year. Imagine if we could translate these statistics to the teen population. The sticker serves as a reminder to keep the rules of the road top of mind.

As Newsweek's Caitlyn McDevitt said (of Steer Straight) "...parents can now learn within minutes about mistakes their teens make on the road." The Steer Straight program uses colorful "How's My TEEN Driving?" bumper stickers that encourage motorists to phone-in comments on the teen's driving. Call-ins are answered live 24/7 by trained Customer Service Representatives (CSR). The CRS's generate an observation, report based on the motorist's call, to be sent via email to the email address(s) provided by the teen's parents within fifteen minutes of the call-in. (No contact is made with the teen, police or insurance companies). The email message highlights the reported driving issue(s) and includes a link to online training modules, Teen Test Drives. These modules walk the teen through an interactive educational session to review and reinforce proper driving skills. An optional test is available following the tutorials.

For more information about Steer Straight visit www.steerstraight.com.

Labels: parent teen driving, safety, teen driving

Many parents know that training their teen to be a good driver is critical to the teen's safety.   But parents also need to limit the number of passengers who ride with their teen and pay attention to the teen drivers their children ride with as passengers.  Studies show that the presence of one passenger doubles the fatal crash risk for a teen driver, and the risk increases with each additional passengers.   Forty percent of teen motor-vehicle deaths involve passengers.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers, accounting for 36% of all deaths of teens aged 15-19.  Two-thirds of the deaths of passengers in this age group happen in cars driven by other teenagers.

In a study at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, researchers discovered that:

• A 16-year-old carrying one passenger is 39% more likely to get killed than one driving alone.
• The likelihood increases 86% with two passengers and 182% with three or more.
• The rate for 17-year-olds is still higher - 48% with one passenger, 158% with two passengers, and 207% with three passengers. 

A study by the University of Michigan Transportation Institute said that the most significant risk issues for teen drivers are teen passengers, driving on weekends and driving at night.  In addition, the researchers found that 56% of the teen drivers in the study had been in at least one crash.   

Even teens seem to understand the risk.  A 2008 survey by Erie Insurance Company found that although 91% of teens think they are driving safely, only 34% could say the same of their friends.  Ninety-seven percent of the teens surveyed said they had seen other teen drivers participating in risky behaviors such as speeding and not wearing seatbelts.  Forty-eight percent said they are easily distracted when friends are passengers.  In a separate study by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm, the number was even higher - 94% of teens said that passengers distracted the driver in some way; for example, by talking on a cell phone or listening to loud music.

In addition to the distraction caused by cell phones and loud music, a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health found that teenage drivers of both genders were more likely to tailgate and exceed the speed limit if there was a teenage male passenger in the front seat.   In fact, when a male passenger was in the vehicle, a quarter of teenage drivers exceeded the speed limit by at least 15 miles per hour.  Also, female teen drivers were slightly more likely to tailgate if there was a female teen passenger in the vehicle with them.

Increasing the risk still further is the phenomenon of teen passengers not using seat belts. Studies show that even teens who buckle up as drivers often neglect to wear a safety belt when they are passengers in another teen's car.

Researchers from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN analyzed data from national youth risk behavior surveys collected in 2001 and 2003 from 12,731 black, white and Hispanic high school students aged 16 and older.  The study found that 59% of the teens always used safety belts while driving, but only 42% always buckled up as passengers.  Only about 1/3 of the students surveyed said they always wore safety belts whether driving or riding as a passenger.

Passenger restrictions for teen drivers already exist as part of Graduated Licensing Laws in many states, and research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicated that passenger restrictions reduce crashes among 16-year-old drivers, so familiarize yourself with the laws in your state.  If restrictions exist, be sure to enforce them as part of your house rules.  If there are no restrictions, review the requirements in a few nearby states so you can create your own. Be sure to investigate the teen drivers your child might ride with - talk to the teen’s parents about the driver training the teen has received, and address any indiscretions (such as peeling out of your driveway) promptly.  Make sure your teen knows the importance of wearing a safety belt, whether driving or riding as a passenger, and teach your teen not to distract other drivers.  Review teen driver safety topics with your teen on a regular basis - use this newsletter for ideas.

Whether legislated or not, restrictions on passengers for teen drivers are necessary for your teen's safety.  Traffic deaths for teens have decreased significantly since passenger and other restrictions were added to Colorado's Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) law in 2005.  In the three years prior to the enactment of passenger restrictions, more than 100 drivers and passengers aged 15-20 died on Colorado roadways each year.  In 2006, the year after the restrictions went into effect, the number of teens killed dropped to 72, and in 2007, the number dropped again to 51- a 50% drop since 2003.  These restrictions must be enforced to make a difference - by parents as well as by law enforcement.

"We will continue to be vigilant in enforcing the state's GDL law, but we also need parents' help in making sure the law is followed at home," said Col. Mark Trostel, chief of the Colorado State Patrol.  "Sign a parent-teen driving agreement, don't allow your teenager to have too many passengers during their first year of driving, establish a driving curfew, make sure they buckle up every time, and set yourself as an example."

Labels: parent teen driving, safety, teen driving