Teen drivers often make dangerous choices due to a lack of maturity, a penchant for taking risks, and inexperience behind the wheel. As a result, traffic crashes are the leading killer of teens in the U.S.
But parents and other adults can help.
That’s the message behind the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “5 to Drive” campaign that aims to raise awareness about the critical role adults play in developing safe teen drivers.
“Despite a declining trend, young drivers remain the largest percentage of crashes and deaths on our roads and we must all do more to change that,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.
Nationally, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-20 year olds. In 2012, 4,283 young drivers aged 15-20 were involved in fatal crashes, and 1,875 of those drivers (44 percent) died in the crash, according to federal data.
“It’s vitally important that anyone responsible for a teenager, including teens themselves, join our ‘5 to Drive’ campaign,” Foxx added.
The secretary expressed support for the campaign today when he addressed the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) annual conference as part of National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 19 – 25). The campaign, the agency noted, is designed to reduce “the staggering number of motor vehicle crashes involving young drivers” and “encourages parents and guardians to set clear rules related to some of the riskiest behaviors associated with young drivers before they get behind the wheel.”
Safety “Rules of the Road” recommended by the agency for parents to discuss with their teens:
- No cell phone use or texting while driving – Ten percent of the people killed in teen driving crashes in 2012 died when the teen driver was distracted at the time of the crash;
- No extra passengers – NHTSA data show that a teenage driver is 2.5 times more likely to engage in risky behaviors when driving with one teenage passenger and three times more likely with multiple teenager passengers;
- No speeding – In 2012, speeding was a factor in almost half (48%) of the crashes that killed 15- to 20-year-old drivers;
- No alcohol – The minimum legal drinking age in every state is 21. However, among 15-to-20 year old drivers killed in crashes in 2012, 28% of them had been drinking; and
- No driving or riding without a seat belt – In 2012, more than half (60 percent) of all 15- to 20-year-old occupants of passenger vehicles killed in crashes were unrestrained.
“We call these rules the “5 to Drive,” and they might just save your child’s life,” David Friedman, NHTSA’s deputy administrator, wrote on Fast Lane, the official blog of the U.S. Department of Transportation. “We need teens to take these rules seriously. That will only happen if parents establish these ground rules with their children —and back them up with a zero-tolerance policy: Unsafe driving means no driving. That’s a promise you should make to your children because it’s a promise that will keep them safe and that they will take seriously.”
Following the simple steps that avoid risky behavior and encourage smart choices, Friedman noted, can “prevent heartbreaking tragedies from occurring.”
The agency also said that it is important for adults to serve as role models by practicing safe driving, as young drivers often pattern their behavior after what they observe.
In addition, parents are encouraged to become familiar with their state’s graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws before their teen drivers begin to drive. Some form of GDL law, which allows teens to gain experience by gradually introducing driving tasks and privileges through controlled exposure to high-risk situations, exists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Click here to learn more about the “5 to Drive” campaign, and here for general safe driving information.
