A parent should never have to deal with the death of a child, but eight teenagers die every day in the United States in car accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a parent, you can play a major role in your child’s driving habits and help ensure your child develops into a safe driver.
The CDC identified the major hazards that contribute to teen driving deaths, and they include the following:
- Inexperienced drivers – The majority of teenage driving accidents happens in the first year that a teenager has his or her driver’s license. Safety experts recommend that parents provide 30 to 50 hours of supervised driving practice in the crucial first year. Practice on different types of roads and at different times of the day.
- Nighttime driving – The CDC recommends to not let teens drive past 10pm in the first six months after obtaining their license.
- Drowsy driving – Teens are busy with part-time jobs and after school activities. Never let your teen get behind the wheel without sufficient rest.
- Reckless driving – This includes speeding, tailgating and failing to see other vehicles on the road. The CDC says teens lack the maturity to appreciate dangerous situations.
- Failure to use seatbelts – We just finished the national “Click it or Ticket” seatbelt campaign. Using a seatbelt reduces a teen’s risk of injury or death by almost half.
Help your teen become an experienced and safe driver. The peace of mind it gives you is priceless.
Has an inexperienced driver injured you or a loved one?
