Marc Hawkins with daughter Melinda as she prepares to practice driving recently in Phoenix. (Jeff Topping for The New York Times)Parents of teen drivers may be shopping for safer cars, but research studies show that parents can help their kids become safer drivers in any car.
Since the mid-1990’s, states have been enacting graduated driver’s licensing programs that, among other things, extend the learning period, prohibit teens from driving with other teens and impose curfews against late-night driving. Those laws have provided a wealth of data about how to make teens into safer drivers. Since 1993, fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers have dropped 23 percent, according to the Journal of Safety Research.
Even so, teens are involved in about twice as many crashes as 30- to 59-year-olds, and teens are still more likely to make mistakes and to speed with passengers in the car. The problem is, the judgment and skill for safe driving develop only after years of practice. The challenge is to let teens practice but under conditions that will prevent them from making fatal mistakes.
Here’s what science shows parents can do to help keep their teen drivers safe.
Make sure your teen is rested. In a recent Virginia Tech study, researchers put recording devices and video cameras in cars driven by teens who had just gotten their licenses. They found that when the kids crashed, it was often because they were impaired by fatigue. They made judgment errors, didn’t recognize hazards and were indecisive. And all these mistakes were compounded because the teens hadn’t had much practice behind the wheel.
Ban cellphones. The same study showed that cell phone use by teen drivers is often a factor in accidents.
Don’t let teens drive or ride with other teens. A Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health study found that a teen’s risk of dying in a car accident jumps when other teens are in the car. A 16-year-old carrying one teen passenger was 39 percent more likely to die. The risk jumped to 86 percent with two teens in the car, and with three or more occupants, the risk of death nearly doubled.
Don’t let teens drive at night. Research consistently shows that night is the riskiest time for teen drivers. The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a study that compared teen accident rates before and after new night driving rules were imposed in North Carolina. Nighttime accidents involving 16-year-olds fell by more than 40 percent.
Impose strict rules. It’s inconvenient to impose limits on a teen’s driving because it means more driving for parents. But studies show that teens are safer when parents monitor where their kids go and who rides with them. In one study of 3,700 parents and teens, kids who were subject to the rules of the Checkpoints Parent-Teen Driving Agreement had fewer traffic violations and drove more safely.
For more information on how to talk to teen drivers about safety, visit the National Safety Council site on teen driving.
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19 Comments
i strongly Agreee with this because it puts teenagers at lower risk of death. much love
— DakotaThe most effective measure parents can take to keep their teens safe behind the wheel is to set an example, starting with the child’s first ride as an infant, of safe driving and to point this out consistently once the child is old enough to understand.
— C. Achtman, MDLook at a state like Maine which let’s kids drive at 15 I believe. They have a disporpotionately high fatality record aamong drivers under 20. Drivers age 16 to 24 account for 30% of the drivers involved in crashes in Maine. For 16 and 17 year olds, one in four will be invoved in a road crash each year, 3 times higher the rate for people over 24 years old. 16 and 17 year olds are 8 times more likely to be driving at illeagal or unsafe speeds than those 25 and older. They do not wear seat belts and there is a high number of arrests for drink driving. Simple solution: raise the driving age to 18.
— Chimene TexHey, how about the most obvious rule? No driving even after one drink of alcohol! Duh?
— AZI think the key to reducing teen deaths from auto accidents to is to make the US driving test more comprehensive and standardize it across the country. In England, if you get a license, you can drive anywhere in the world, not so in America. I know peers of mine who took their driving test in a parking lot, never having to prove they knew how to interact with vehicles (this occured in Northen Florida.)
I would recommend a multi-part pracitical road test which took the tester onto the highway. This is the only way to stop bad drivers, stop giving them licenses.
— TimI wish these article snippets would present more facts about the studies rather than broad conclusions.
For example:
1) are teens at any added risk when using a cell phone vs. an adult.
2) Does the presence of other teens in the car create danger due to distractions(conversations) that would be any different than say, a mother of an infant crying. Or is the danger more closely linked to trying to “show off”? Is there a difference between boys and girls? Is there a difference in the situation when you have friends with you(late night trip to the movies vs. going out to run an errand for your parent).
3) Does nighttime danger relate to; lack of judgement in the dark, fatigue, impairment due to alcohol/drugs, “rushing” due to curfews? There are a myriad of factors that could cause the significant increase in risk due to night time driving.
Growing up, I knew many teens who would speed simply to make it home before their curfew, needlessly increasing risk. I knew others that went out drinking with friends and then had to drive home. Both of these instances are times when “night driving” is completely irrelevant and more likely, there is other risky behavior going on.
In the linked study about night time driving risks, the initial study was about how a graduated driver’s license program would affect crashes for 16 year olds! Research concluded no such thing but rather, a system where you generally try to keep teens off the road during times when they are most likely to be fatigued/impaired decreases crashes. This does not mean that once the sun sets your teens are safer but rather, a 16 year old is not going to be as skilled as a 40 year old in handling driving at 3 AM ( I know I wasn’t).
The moral of the story is that none of these suggestions mean much outside of context. Look at your own driving and when it suffers. I’ll bet that occurs at night when you are fatigued, in very dark areas, while distracted by a cell phone, friend, or child, or impaired due to medicine, alcohol or drugs and guess what, these effects are amplified for a 16 year old without your experience. Take the effort to help your child when these situations come up rather than making blanket rules like “no cell phones or friends with you, ever, in the car and you had better be home before dark”. Rules like the ones above are merely a way for a parent to be lazier while touting their involvement.
— SeanDear Reader…
Last summer my 12 year old granddaughter was killed in a car accident joy riding with her 10 year old friend at 4.00 a.m. going 85 miles per hr. down a dirt road.
My granddaughter was spending the nigbt with her 10 year old friend when they decided to “borrow” the grandmother’s car to take a joy ride. “children” of this age have a strong belief that they are invisible. It is only about fun!!! I am not sure if there is anything in our young people’s thoughts about right and wrong or about respect for other’s belongings or respect for themselves.
I can not begin to explain the devastation that this has brought to my family. And, I encourage parents to start today to bring their family’s together before it is too late.
— Teri StrattonTeri Stratton-I’m deeply saddened by your loss and appreciate your taking the time to share in hopes of educating others. As a driving instructor in San Diego, CA I use real life stories like yours in the course of my daily Behind-the-wheel instruction. Unfortunately, most schools “teach to the test!” The risks of driving as a teen are many. As you so aptly stated, the devastation is beyond comprehension of most teens. Keep speaking out and join a support group that will help others. God Bless!
— Laine HermanCheck out keepthedrive.com! There is a teen-to-teen national movement addressing the 16 teens that die each day in car crashes and the nearly 300,000 that are injured each year. Contrary to popular belief, simple distractions - not drinking and driving, are the number one causes of car crashes amongst teens. Talking on your cell phone, speeding and too many people in the car are good examples of things teens can change!
This movement encourages teens to speak up if they are uncomfortable with how a friend is driving.
Today, teens from 4 schools in New Jersey are coming together at Dave & Busters in the Palisades Mall to learn how to be smart driving activists in their communities. There will be a smart driving rally at Emerson Junior-Senior High School afterwards.
This movement will be coming to Long Island, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and a second time in New Jersey n following weeks.
— KaseyAs Tim pointed out, some students are taught and tested in parking lots. In Texas, you can parent-teach your kids to drive. I chose this option because, after being a Paramedic for 12 years, I have seen the consequences of unsafe, distracted, alcohol impaired, inexperienced, etc… driving. My daughter’s friend’s pitied my daughter for having such a difficult time in “driver’s ed” when they considered they’re classes, that were paid for by the parents, to be “a breeze”. I paid $20.00 to the State of Texas for the parent taught program, and will do it again with my younger children as well because I KNOW what my daughter was taught and I KNOW that she uses what she was taught as I logged MANY hours of drive time with her. Most important is to be a defensive driver. Always be observant of the “other guy”. Now, the only down side to Texas’ parent taught program is the parent has the option to allow their child to skip the actual ‘driving test’, where you ride with a State Trooper who assesses your driving skills. I thought this was ridiculous!!!! Hey, I had to take that test, so did my daughter. She was very upset with me for ’subjecting her to that kind of stress’, but she felt 10 feet tall when she recieved a 100 on her skills test and a 100 on her written test. Of course, as I explained to her a 100 on a test means nothing. Going to or coming from you target location safe is the only 100 that matters.
— Theresa JohnsonAlso, check out Report My Teen.com. We are a nationwide program and our goal is to help reduce teen accidents. We are a bumper sticker program with the ability to notify parents via email if the teen is seen driving unsafely. We’ve had a lot of interest from the media, and have been on TV, radio and magazines. As most people know, we all drive differently when we think either the police or state trooper is next to us. A bumper sticker works in the same way – the teen does all their “mental checks” before making an impulsive decision. A bumper sticker is also cheaper and easier to install than the pricey GPS cameras. Most of the objections we get from parents are that using the sticker means you don’t trust your kid …. As an ex-trauma nurse, I know what happens to kids who think they are invincible.
— KristiThe facts show us:
• Traffic collisions are the leading cause of teen fatalities in the U.S., accounting for 44 percent of teen deaths.
• Teens are involved in fatal traffic crashes at more than twice the rate of the rest of the population, and speeding and distracted driving are two major contributors. The issue has been deemed a national crisis according to the National Safety Council.
• It’s an alarming recent statistic for teenagers and parents: the National Safety Council says nine out of ten teenage drivers will be in a police-investigated vehicle crash during their first three years of driving.
• Young drivers often are distracted while driving, mostly by using a cell phone or trying to change a CD. Because these activities require drivers to take their eyes off the road, they can create a dangerous situation that the teens most likely won’t know how to handle.
I’ve used it on both my sons with a few calls, all of which were legitimate and necessary. We are worth a look!
Well,i strongly agree with what Tim has point out
— Flyin DutchmanThis phenomenon has become a social issue, the states test system is the one to blame.It is so cozy with drivers.Having test in parking lot only represent only a fraction of this fatal issue
Overall, it is quite necessary to have a comprehensive testing system.
One place to start is to stop all forms of aggressive driving whether it’s teens or adults driving. We need laws that are already on the books to be enforced in addition to new stronger laws to be put in place. My daughter Lesley and her boy friend Jon were killed this past Easter Sunday by some maniac who was driving very aggressively.
— Isabel CarnessPunishment should be harsh and not negotiable.
Eds note: I’m so sorry for your unimaginable loss. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us. tpp
Parents! Do something about teen driving tragedies, don’t just wring your hands and worry. I have a GPS tracker in my son’s car with his knowledge. He doesn’t speed and I know it. I can go on-line and see everywhere he has been and how fast he was driving. It has helped him control his “need for speed”. He is a good kid, but that doesn’t translate into a “safe kid”, he is still a kid! Check out this website, teensafetyprogram.com for your kid’s sake.
— Roger V. RudeDistractions have been cited as a common cause of accidents involving teenagers. A wonderful way to avoid distractions is to have your child drive a manual car (and to take their test in one, to insure their capability). Driving manual, especially when you have just learned, requires thinking about what you are doing on the road and makes it infinitely more difficult to get distracted. Stalling out, or grinding of the gears can quickly signal to a teenager that they have lost their concentration on driving.
— KateMost teens appear to be very good drivers from what I have seen, but their ability to calculate the other drivers faults and drive defensively takes a long time to develope. For this reason, I think teens should drive with an experienced adult for as long as possible, no cell phone use, and no music. Sounds harsh, but I think they should make special cars for young drivers with no radio, make the car unstartable unless the young driver buckles up, and a way to put a guage on how fast they can go until they get more experienced.
— CandiNO! You people have it all wrong! I’ll have my license, and be driving out on the road in about 10 months! WHOOT! And I don’t want my parents to be all strict, and such. I am a responsible teenager and I think I can handle myself. I know the rules, and will be just fine without my parents breathing down my neck. This topic is always taken to far! We teens are not that bad and irresponsible as you adults all think. So, stop being so strict, and overprotective. OK? Thanks, I love you all! BYE! :]
— Kyle SakacsThis subject is vital for every young driver
— Harold Homefieldand his/her parents. Too many young drivers act
as if they were immortal. I believe that every
high school driving class should incorporate this
information. Perhaps, pictures in color, taken at
the scene of fatal accidents, would help to impress the importance of “defensive driving.”
One problem that I see in my state is that parents have to teach their children to drive. I’ve been driving for 35 years, but that doesn’t mean I know how to teach someone else to drive. Driver’s ed isn’t offered in school anymore. The state requires a 30 hour class, which is offered by various companies at various costs to parents. But actual behind the wheel training is done by parents. And knowing how some of the people I know drive, I’m scared to think how their children will drive.
— Linda