Safe Teen Driving Blog

Most adults understand that teens tend to tune out long lectures about safe driving (or anything else), but parents and teachers also know that they have important messages to pass on, and they are sometimes at a loss as to other methods of doing so. Creative thinking in terms of teaching methods, both in the home and at school, can mean the difference between messages that teens will ignore versus those they will integrate into their driving behavior. This is so important with driving; motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Obviously, lectures aren't working.

Recently, First Coast News of Jacksonville, FL profiled four teenagers who had created a Public Service Announcement (PSA) to promote safe driving. The PSA shows a teen driving while listening to music, eating, and using a cell phone to talk and text; she eventually glances at the road just in time to see that it's too late to avoid a motor vehicle crash.

Reporters quizzed the teens on whether or not they'd ever performed any of these unsafe driving behaviors. The teens admitted to doing so but also said that making the PSA had heightened their awareness of how dangerous these behaviors are, which had caused them to curb the behavior. The teens said that creating the PSA had made the consequences of distracted driving, such as getting into a crash and being seriously injured, seem real. This is more of an accomplishment than one might think; teens' brains are not biologically developed enough for them to control impulses and understand the consequences of their behavior, which is why convincing them to drive safely is such an uphill battle.

Another benefit of this type of active participation is that these teens became positive role models for their peers, influencing them to drive more safely. Peer pressure is a reality that must not be ignored; many teens perform more (both in intensity and in number) risky driving behaviors when they are accompanied by teen passengers. Whether the teen driver is bowing to external pressure from friends or internal pressure to show off, the effect is the same. The key is not to try to convince teens to disregard peer pressure, an almost impossible task, but to convert the peer pressure into a positive influence.

Making the PSA also had the effect of helping these teens take responsibility for their driving behavior. Again, this is typically a difficult task. Teens have a variety of sources, legitimate and irrational, to blame for their poor choices; reaching maturity means accepting responsibility for their decisions and the attendant consequences, along with realizing that they are the ones who make the ultimate decision to be safe drivers.

Listening to a lecture is a passive process; making a PSA is an active process because it forces the teen to engage with and think about safe driving concepts. Of course, having every teen in America make a PSA about safe driving would be a logistical nightmare, and due to teens' short attention spans, the experience would soon wear thin. But the concept of having teens participate in an active learning process about safe driving could be utilized in every household and in every school.

Before assigning an active-participation project to teens, consider their interests. Most teens love music, popular television shows, being with friends, and talking about themselves. Most teens are self-conscious about their appearance and are interested in grooming, clothes, and accessories. Many teens also have a special hobby, such as gaming, art, computers, writing, or sports. Many are also interested in exploring new ideas - the perfect time to let them get creative with how to disseminate safe driving messages. Ideas include:

• Designing a poster or series of posters
• Writing a song, using computer software to write accompanying music
• Writing an episode of their favorite television show
• Performing a skit with friends
• Giving their own "presidential address"
• Designing a clothing/accessory line
• Creating a video game
  

To avoid boredom, vary the topics assigned to the teen, but for maximum benefit, assign topics that relate to common teen driving mistakes, such as:

• Drinking and driving
• Drugs and driving (focus on common drugs of abuse for teens, such as cough medicine, prescription drugs, inhalants, and marijuana)
• Wearing safety belts
• Speeding
• Reckless driving, such as weaving in and out of traffic
• Aggressive driving, such as tailgating
• Distracted driving, such as cell phone use
• Driving with passengers
  

To further engage their critical thinking skills, have teens present their messages from other points of view. For example, teens who are interested in politics can give a presidential address about enacting laws to lower teen deaths in motor vehicle crashes; teens who are interested in sports can create an advertising campaign showing how drinking and drugs can impair athletic ability. Until the project is finished, try to provide encouragement and support without too much assistance; let teens follow the research and learning process to its logical conclusion.

Helping teens engage in an active learning process regarding safe driving behavior is a requirement for reducing the teen death rate on our nation's roadways.

Labels: cell.phone, defensive driving, seat.belt, teen driving, teens and distracted driving, teens and expressway driving, teens and safety belts, teens and seat belts, tips for teens, underage drinking

As many drivers know, teens have a higher fatality rate in motor vehicle crashes than any other age group. One reason for this is that teens have lower seat belt use rates than adults. In 2006, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 76% of drivers aged 16 to 24 used their safety belts; this figure was lower than for any other age group. Perhaps more telling, in 2006 the NHTSA also reported that 58% of 16- to 20-year olds who were involved in fatal motor vehicle collisions were not wearing seat belts.

In some states, the numbers are even worse: An observational study by the Utah Department of Health found that the teen seat belt use rate was only 67% compared to a state safety belt use rate of 88.6%. The University of Missouri reports that between 1995 and 2000, only 24% of fatally injured teen drivers were buckled up, compared to the national average of 36% for teen drivers who died in motor vehicle crashes during this time.

Why don't teens wear safety belts? The Utah Department of Health study reported that teens offer the following reasons:
-Forgetting to buckle up
-Wanting to be cool
-Peer pressure
-Seat belts are uncomfortable
-Traveling only a short distance
-A feeling of invincibility

The same study also found that the teen seat belt use rate falls when other high-risk factors are present, such as when teens:
-Drive under the influence of alcohol
-Drive at night
-Have multiple teen passengers
-Are driving without a driver's license

What can we do to increase the seat belt use rate among teenagers? Initiatives include:
-The University of Missouri study found that whether or not teens will use safety belts is established well before the teens begin driving. Parents who want their teens to buckle up must wear their own safety belts and use child restraints and seat belts on their children from birth. The University of Missouri study found that teens were heavily influenced by a lack of seat belt use by the adults in their lives, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that teen seat belt use increases over time when strict parental limits are set. In an NHTSA study, about half of the unbelted students observed at 12 high schools were riding with adults who were wearing seat belts.
-Education and outreach are important methods of encouraging safety belt use. Many teens do not understand the physics of a car crash. The University of Missouri study found that teens are not well-informed about the consequences of crashes where occupants are unbelted. Teens also tend to extrapolate urban legends to a statistical majority, so they need to learn how to apply critical thinking skills to traffic safety concepts.
-Graduated Driver Licensing programs in many states have seat belt use requirements. For example, in North Carolina, graduated licensing law includes provisions for fines for up to $100 for safety belt violations by new drivers. Teens need to be educated on their state requirements and the penalties for violating them; parents need to enforce GDL laws as part of their house rules.
-Parents who are purchasing a vehicle for their teens should consider models with safety belt reminder systems.
-Schools have the opportunity to increase seat belt use by requiring student drivers and passengers to be buckled up when entering and leaving campus. Enforcement can be tied to vehicles with parking decals; penalties can be tied to restriction of and eventual loss of parking privileges.
-A primary enforcement safety belt law is effective in increasing safety belt use among teens, particularly among those who absolutely refuse to wear them otherwise. The NHTSA reports that teens are more likely to wear seat belts in states with primary enforcement laws versus in states with secondary laws. Teens often perceive indifference to safety belt use on the part of law enforcement in secondary enforcement states, because they don't understand that enforcement is restricted by the law. "Click It or Ticket" campaigns are also successful in increasing overall seat belt use rates.

Labels: driver education, teens and safety belts, teens and seat belts