What can parents do to make sure teen drivers are safe on the road?

This is an important question, and in fact, Oct. 16-22 is National Teen Driver Safety Week.  Because teenagers are involved in triple the number of fatal accidents compared to all other drivers, Congress established National Teen Driver Safety Week in 2007. Of course, safe driving is a topic for every week when you have teen drivers, but this week has been dedicated to raising awareness, providing education and seeking solutions to prevent teen accidents, injuries and fatalities on the road.

The 3 greatest dangers for teen drivers are as follows:

1. Distracted and drowsy driving
   Distracted driving is “anything that takes your HANDS off the wheel, your EYES off the road and your MIND off the task of driving”. Between the lure of cell phones, music and friends as passengers, a teen can easily be distracted from driving safely.  Make sure your teens are aware of this and focus on always paying full attention to the road. Encourage them to put away electronic devices while in the car.
   Drowsy driving is another danger as 50% of drowsy driving accidents involve drivers under 25.  Teenagers require more sleep than adults, yet often stay up late at night and get up early for school.  Make sure your teens get enough sleep if they are going to be driving.
   
2. Inconsistent or no seat belt use
   This is common sense, yet many teens think they don’t need to wear seat belts.  Statistically, not wearing a seat belt makes you 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash. And, more than 75% of people ejected die from their injuries. Parents are in control and can enforce the rule of no seat belt, no car keys. Also, it’s good to remind any passenger, but especially teens, to wear a seatbelt if using a ride share. Serious injury and in some instances, deaths could have been avoided if a seatbelt had been worn.
   
3. Speeding
   As we all know, young people can feel invincible and also are susceptible to peer pressure.  Hence, speeding is a factor in nearly 30% of teen crashes with fatalities. Make sure your teen knows you will not tolerate speeding, and that car privileges will be revoked for any infractions. 

Please make sure you have conversations this week and regularly with your teen drivers about the rules of the road and how important they are to follow when behind the wheel or traveling in a vehicle. 

At Jaffarian, we are here to help you keep your vehicles safe and in good repair for you and all the drivers in your family. October is also a good time to make sure vehicles are ready for cold weather.

Relevant sources for more information on teen driver safety:

https://www.teendriversource.org/advocacy-education/national-teen-driver-safety-week

https://youth.gov/announcements/national-teen-driver-safety-week