Is your teen driving keeping you up at night? If so there is good reason for parents to have concern and exercise some proactive, positive guidance for your teen drivers. It is no secret that the typical teenager is already distracted enough between school, social life, and extracurricular activities teens young minds and bodies already have a lot to process. Now add a car to the equation. There are some troubling numbers on teenage drivers and Allstate Insurance has some helpful tips for parent to apply to their teenagers behind the wheel. The number to be aware of are:
- Automobile accidents are the number one cause of teenage fatalities,
- It is estimated that over 5,000 teens lose their lives in auto accidents on average annually,
- Statistically, 10 percent of drivers involved in a fatal accident is a teen driver under the age of 20.
To help provide education and awareness, there is a National Teen Driver Safety week in October, but accidents with teenage drivers can happen in any of the twelve months and it is essential that as a parent you set a good example and set some basic ground rules which may seem like common sense, but it was a wise man who said that common sense is not common.
Consider these five rules as a contract with your teen driver to help keep them, their passengers and other motorist safe as they venture out on the open road”:
- No use of cell phones whatsoever while behind the wheel. Even if your car has Bluetooth or they have a headset, chatting on a phone is a distraction that many adults can’t handle. Advise your teen that an incoming call can wait and if they need to make a call, pull over in a safe area or wait until they arrive at their destination. Same goes for texting.
- No passengers until they’ve demonstrated both command of a vehicle and maturity. Teens are also distracted by peer pressure which can lead to poor decision and worse outcomes.
- Obey speed limits. Youngsters feel indestructible and may find it tempting to push the speed limit. They need to understand this is a no-no and could result in loss of driving privileges as not to permit them to cause loss of life.
- Just say no to alcohol or drugs. Enough said and in line with the common sense not being common.
- Always wear a seatbelt. Your teen may think it cool and rebellious to free wheel it without their safety belt on but they need to understand that if they are in an accident, this could be the difference between a bruise and a funeral.
- As a parent, you can’t just to the talking, you need to set a good and positive example. There are surveys that indicate upwards of 90% of teenagers will admit that their parents are a significant influence on how they behave behind the wheel.
If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident and injured, you have our deepest concern and sympathy. Contact us at Accident Law Group to get a complete assessment of your case. We built our firm to help you build fight and win your case and make sure the rights you have under the law are protected.
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