Teen Drivers

When I was a sophomore at NCHS they made us watch a movie titled “Death on the Highway.” The movie was designed to scare all of us into driving safely. The teachers were obviously trying to teach us something important, but we all thought it was a joke. They showed one scene where a mannequin was sitting in the drivers seat of a wrecked car covered with something that looked a lot like ketchup. The Mannequin had no head. Everyone in the class laughed because it was so phony. Real car wrecks are not phony and the people in them do not bleed ketchup. Looking back, I can’t think of one particular thing that caused me to take highway safety more seriously. I think frequent repetition and a consistent message was what finally worked.. You have got to get on message with your kids and keep talking about safety if you want them to survive.
Many teenagers think that they are invincible and that no one ever dies. They may look mature and they may study complicated subjects, but most teenagers have not have not reached a level of maturity where they can be counted on to make good decisions every time. Neuroscientists now know that the frontal lobe of the brain is the last part of the brain to develop. This is the part of the brain responsible for important functions like judgment. A teen may look mature, but their frontal lobes are not yet fully developed. Probably one of the most important things I think parents should do is to recognize that even the most responsible teen can make a bad decision from time to time. Don’t assume that they know all about safety.
For those of you out there who have teen drivers in you household let me remind you of a few statistics. Eight American teens die from injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes every single day. In 2009 alone, 3000 teens between the ages of 15 and 19 died in motor vehicle crashes. A recent study indicates that for the first time in 8 years teen road deaths are up 11% over the first 6 months of 2011. In a teen’s first month of unsupervised driving they are 50% more likely to be involved in a car crash than a teen that has been driving for a year. Another very impressive statistic indicates that for every additional teen in a car, the risk of having an accident is multiplied. Having all your friends in the car with you when driving is just asking for trouble. Texting is another huge problem with teen drivers. Studies show that when teens are texting and driving they have their eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds of driving. Texting and driving is not just negligence, it is madness.
Teens need to be reminded of these statistics a lot. The parents who are constantly reminding their teens about these dangers have a much better chance of watching them grow up. Another statistic I read recently was that teens drivers who’s parent asked tough questions before handing over the keys, had a lower rate of injury from car accidents. Simple but tough questions like: Where are you going? Who is going to be in the car with you? Who is going to be driving? Will anyone be drinking? Where will you be stopping? When will you be home? You might want to consider an amnesty agreement. If you are in a bad situation, just call home. We will come get you with no questions asked.
Talk about safety with your kids whenever you can. Explain to them that poor choices can have terrible consequences. If you see a see a story about a wreck in the paper or on TV, explain to your teen about how the drivers decision process must have gotten off track to cause such a terrible wreck. Use these cases as a teachable moment with your teen. Talk to them about how drinking and driving is not only a choice but a very bad choice. Explain this to them. Don’t wait until they start driving to have these conversations. You can broaden the lessons to include things like avoiding drug use or acceptable dating behavior. Use these conversations to explain your value system to your teen. Teaching your kids these lessons is not only your job as a parent, it is your duty as a citizen. Don’t forget, sometimes teens crash into old people like us. Our whole community has an interest in you teaching your children how to be safe.