Keep Teenage Drivers Safe!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

This past week we had the opportunity to attend the Drive it Home event here in Phoenix, a tour to educate on steps we can take to keep our teens safe on the road. The show was lead by comedians from Second City and taught in a lighthearted way some of the keep important messages about safe practices we can implement as part of our own family rules for the road. My favorite part was the “Teen to Parent Translator” where they hilariously interpreted what a teenager was trying to say including all the abbreviations as well as the parents reply.

After the skit, we had the opportunity to hear from a mother who lost her son in what could have been a completely preventable accident. Her son went along on a camping trip with a father and a group of boys. The dad decided to allow his 17 year old son to drive the car full of other young boys which was against the law in her state of California. The mother never gave permission for her son to ride with a teenage driver, either. Sadly, her son lost his life at just 14 when the driver decided to try drifting around the corner from being egged on from all the passengers in his car.

I can really relate with this mother’s story. I remember when I was a teenager and some of the poor decisions me and my friends made while driving. I was also in two car accidents in my first year or two of driving. Luckily, none were major and no one was hurt in these accidents, but things could have been different.

The #1 case of Teen Accidents is Inexperience!

A survey showed that, “74 percent of parents inaccurately believe that risk-taking is the leading cause” of teen accidents. The data clearly shows that inexperience is the leading cause which means there are steps you can take to teach your child and keep them safer on the road. While at the Drive it Home event, it was suggested that as parents we don’t allow any other kids in the car for their first year of driving. That includes siblings and friends. It’s also important to continue to help them practice driving with just an adult in the car and to limit nighttime driving alone until they have more experience. Here’s a sad statistic specifically about Arizona teen drivers:

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there were 227 fatalities in crashes involving at least one 15- to 19-year-old motor vehicle driver in Arizona from 2009-11.

Resources for Parents

A survey showed that 64% of parents are looking for resources to help them with their teen and driving. There are resources available. The Allstate Foundation and National Safety Council urge parents to take these simple steps with their teen driver:

• Drive at least 30 minutes each week with a newly licensed teen.
• Practice specific skills together and provide teens with feedback in the following critical areas:
  • Scanning the road ahead to recognize and respond to hazards.
  • Controlling speed, stopping, turning and following distance.
  • Judging the gap between vehicles in traffic – such as exiting parking lots and left-hand turns.
  • Managing the highest risks, such as night driving and driving with young passengers.

Drive it Home Tour

It is extremely important that we share this message and take steps to not only protect our own children but those around them as well and the other youth in our lives. The Drive it Home event is headed to 10 more cities across the US including Washington, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida and more. Come see the tour schedule to see if the Drive it Home even will be heading to a city near you. The event is completely free and they even draw gas card prize winners and one attendee from all the events will win a car!!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.