Teens and young adults today deal with so many more sources of distraction than they did 20+ years ago. 33% of deaths among 13 to 19-year-olds occur in motor vehicle crashes.
We know that technology is a major factor in these collisions involving teens and young adults today. 56% of teens admitted that they talk or text on the phone while driving. It’s important to discuss the dangers of distracted driving with our teens and how to avoid the pitfalls that technology may bring to their driving experience.
Using phones that block notifications while driving are a good start, putting devices in a place that cannot be reached while driving is also a good idea to avoid the temptation of looking at the device while on the road.
We also know that with each additional passenger the chance of getting into an accident increases. It’s important that we set limits on the number of passengers we allow our teens to have in their vehicle and discuss keeping talking to a minimum and the volume down. Especially for brand new drivers.
Time is also a factor it has been determined that there are are more teen involved accidents between the hours of 9PM and 6AM. Setting a curfew for your teen driver may help decrease their changes of being in an accident.
We hope these facts and tips help you with preparing you teens to get on the road as safely as possible.
