Can I Borrow the Car?
Get the Facts About Teen Crashes
As kids grow older, they expect more freedom. The question is, do they realize their new-found freedom brings more responsibility? While driving can be fun and freeing for teens, it is also extremely dangerous. Be aware of the risks your teen faces behind the wheel and talk about safety before he or she borrow the car. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 5,000 teens die in car crashes each year and close to 300,000 are injured.
Seatbelts
Failure to use a seatbelt plays a role in more vehicle deaths than any other safety-related behavior. Check out these facts from the Iowa DOT:
- Three out of four people ejected from a vehicle during a crash will die as a result
- Chances of surviving a crash are up to 70 percent better if wearing a seatbelt
- An estimated 9,500 lives are saved each year by wearing a seatbelt
- Iowa law requires all front seat passengers to buckle-up. Backseat passengers are required by law to buckle up if under the age of 18. No matter the age, it's always wise to buckle up.
Distracted Driving
Since teens have less experience driving, distractions are one of the greatest risks. Check out these facts on teen driving.
Cell Phone Use
- Users are four to five times more likely to have a crash, whether or not it's a hands-free device
- Teens are four times more likely to crash if using a cell phone than adults
- Users' brain activity associated with driving is reduced 37 percent
- July 1, 2010 Iowa issued a new cell phone law making it illegal for drivers under 18 to use a cell phone
Texting
- Texting results in car crashes that kill an average of 11 teens each day
- Texting results in 330,000 distracted driving injuries every year
- Texting takes your eyes off the road an average of five seconds at a time. At 55 mph, that is like driving the length of a football field, completely blind.
- Texting is the most alarming distraction because it involves all three types of distraction - visual, manual and cognitive
- Texting while driving is like driving after having four beers
- Texting makes drivers 23 times more likely to crash
Music
People spend an average of 25 seconds with their eyes off the road to select a song with a handheld MP3 player
Passengers
- Almost 60 percent of teenage passenger deaths occur in vehicles driven by another teenager
- Fatal crashes involving young drivers are much more likely to occur when other teenagers are in the car
- The risk of a fatal crash increases in proportion to the number of teenage passengers
- Nearly half of all teen crashes involve vehicles with one or more teen passengers
Aggressive Driving
Negative emotions could cause teens to:
- Experience dimmed or otherwise impaired observation and reaction times
- Fail to recognize situations, such as an abrupt slowing of traffic or debris in the road
- Lose the ability to predict or to determine what the other drivers around them are doing
- Make risky maneuvers and risky changes
- Lose the ability to perform driving skills that require precise timing or other subtle skills
- Feel detached from other drivers, vehicles and conditions on the road
Drowsy Driving
- Teen drivers who sleep less than eight hours nightly are one-third more likely to crash than those who sleep eight or more hours
- The majority of fatigue-related crashes are caused by drivers under age 25
Talking To Your Teen
As teenagers begin to take the road, it's important for parents to talk to their teens and explain the hazards of this new responsibility. Have a discussion with them, talking about the following risks:
- Cell Phone Use - It's illegal, so create some consequences if they break the law.
- Alcohol Consumption - Let them know you would rather they call for a ride than try to drive home after drinking and risk their life. Also, remind your teen it's illegal to consume alcohol if under 21.
- Seatbelt Use - Drivers are 70 percent more likely to survive a crash if wearing a seatbelt.
- Night time Driving - When does the car need to be back in the driveway?
- Passengers - When can they transport passengers and how many?