Parents inevitably face the troubling and terrifying rite of passage known as teen driving. Learning to drive is a natural step in the progression toward increased independence and maturity, but it can also be harrowing for parents who are rightfully protective of their children. One of the best things you can do to reduce their risk of involvement in an accident is to talk to your teenagers about becoming safer drivers.
Driving is dangerous, and nobody knows this better than the parent of a teenager. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers is car accidents. This is a startling fact, but there are proven strategies that you can employ to help keep your teen driver safe.
Make buckle up your mantra. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that approximately 53 percent of the teens who died in car crashes in 2014 weren’t wearing their seatbelts. In fact, seatbelts have been found to reduce car accident related fatalities by about 50 percent.
It should go without saying, but no one should ever drink and drive. In fact, underage drinkers cause a disproportionately high number of alcohol-related car accident fatalities. Indiana employs a zero tolerance policy for underage drinkers who drive, which means that a blood alcohol content of 0.02 (rather than 0.08) is their DUI limit. Talk to your teens about the very real dangers of drinking and driving.
Educate Yourself and Your Teens
Driving is a complicated activity that requires skill, knowledge, and practice. Teenager’s not only lack experience but are also prone to taking risks. Graduated Driver License Programs (GDL) address these issues by focusing on both skill building and enhanced driving supervision. These programs encourage greater parental involvement in the learning process. By educating yourself about these comprehensive curriculums, you can help your teenager become a safer driver. Finally, share the eight primary causes of teen car accidents with your teenager:
- Inexperienced drivers
- Distracted drivers
- Drowsy drivers
- Reckless drivers
- Impaired drivers
- Teen passengers
- Night travel
- Nonuse of seatbelts
Talk to your teen drivers about staying safe behind the wheel, provide them with opportunities to gain experience safely, and be a safe-driving role model.
If You’ve Been Injured in an Indianapolis Car Accident, Contact Fountain Law Firm
At the Fountain Law Firm, P.C., we have successfully helped many car accident victims obtain the compensation they deserve for their injuries and related losses. To make sure that you receive all the compensation to which you are entitled, it is important to have an experienced car accident attorney handling your case. Attorney Merry Fountain can help you today by meeting in her office or by meeting in your home. Call Merry Fountain anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878) for a free consultation.