A New Study Says That Car Accidents are the Leading Cause of Death Among Teenagers
If yous have a teenager at dwelling house who of late got a driver’second license, or even if y'all have a teen driver who has a yr or two of experience behind the bicycle, it is of import to know that car accidents are the leading effort of expiry for teenagers in the U.S. each year. According to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported past ABC News, “motorcar accidents are the issue ane drive of expiry for teens.”
What are the 2 virtually common reasons that teen motorcar crashes pass? According to the report, inexperience behind the wheel and willingness to engage in hazard-taking behaviors are the two almost prominent causes of teen motor vehicle collisions. Even when teens empathize the rules of the road in addition to concord to follow them, certain driving tendencies tend to exhibit upwards when a driver is inexperienced. For case, teen drivers oftentimes follow likewise closely behind other cars, or make not brake rapidly plenty. Inexperienced drivers besides have more difficulty anticipating behaviors of other drivers on the road, which tin upshot in collisions that a more experienced driver power accept avoided.
Yet inexperience is not the alone reason that teen drivers are at high adventure for a crash. Teenagers who are behind the bike are too more than probable to engage inward risky too unsafe driving behaviors. For case, texting spell driving, or using a smartphone to verbalize or surf the net, are mutual behaviors amid teens. Any distractions behind the bike tin live dangerous, as well as smartphone utilisation tin be specially hazardous. As NHTSA emphasizes, sending a single text message takes an average of five seconds, too taking your eyes off the road for five seconds to post a text is the equivalent of “driving the length of an entire football field amongst your eyes unopen.”
How tin can we have steps to forestall teen accidents? Parents together with guardians should sympathize the risks as well as should encourage rubber driving behaviors.
Tips for Safer Teen Driving
Teen automobile accidents do not take to pass, too many collisions are preventable. The following are safe tips for teenage drivers from the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles:
- Always go the speed boundary and then that y'all volition have time to react inwards an unexpected result;
- Do non follow others also closely inward example they come to a precipitous end;
- Do not use your prison cell ring piece driving;
- Avoid eating or drinking while driving;
- Never beverage alcohol as well as and then campaign;
- Plan ahead: expect up directions earlier y'all start driving too familiarize yourself amongst your road ahead of time;
- Leave early on and so you volition have plenty of fourth dimension to get to your finish in addition to volition non be tempted to speed; too
- Use plow signals so that other drivers know what your side by side course of activity is piece driving
For parents as well as guardians that are didactics their teen how to drive:
- Set a good case that demonstrates safety driving behaviors for your teenager;
- Talk to your teen ahead of fourth dimension almost the importance of taking driving seriously, wearing a seatbelt correctly, as well as minimizing distractions in the vehicle and so they can go along their eyes on the road;
- Make sure the vehicle your teenager is driving is good-maintained, too proceed your vehicle well maintained as well;
- Start out wearisome in addition to elementary, inward a low traffic expanse or a parking lot.
- Work your fashion into more difficult driving.
For parents together with guardians whose teenagers are already driving:
- Limit the number of passengers your teen can campaign with;
- Enforce a curfew so that your teenager will be dwelling house safely during night, when yous mightiness not be awake or available to respond to an emergency;
- Gradually increment the sum of time y'all let your teen to movement;
- Gradually increment the distance you permit your teen to drive;
- Let your teenager know that it is not appropriate to swallow or drinkable spell driving;
- Enforce rules that prohibit your teenager from using a prison cell ring patch driving;
- Make certain they sympathize the importance of next the speed limits as well as other rules of the route;
- Do not permit your teen to potable and drive.
- Ride alongside your teen occasionally to monitor his or her driving skills.
If your teen was involved in a crash, or if y'all were injured inwards a collision involving a teen driver, you lot should talk alongside a motorcar accident attorney most your options.