Five Rules for Teen Drivers

From swimming pools to poisonous substances, you’ve spent many years protecting your children from all types of danger. Now you face one of the biggest dangers of their life, handing over the keys to a two-ton machine. Since motor vehicle crashes continue to remain the number one cause of death for U.S. teens, it is important for parents to have continuous conversations with their children about the importance of driving safely.

To help encourage parents to talk with their teens and to regularly “set the rules before they hit the road”, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has developed these five crucial rules:

1) No cell phone use
Year after year, teenagers represent the largest age group reported as distracted at the time of fatal crashes. Research shows that the probability of crashing increases by four times when talking on the phone, while texting and driving increases the risk by over twenty times. Talking or texting on the phone while behind the wheel significantly reduces your teen’s ability to react to a roadway hazard or inclement weather.

2) No extra passengers
Research has shown that the risk of a fatal crash increases in direct relation to the number of teenagers in the car. According to a NHTSA study, teen drivers are two-and-a-half times more likely to engage in one or more potentially risky behaviors when driving with just one teenage passenger, compared to when driving alone. This same study revealed that teen drivers were three times more like to engage in one or more risky behaviors when traveling with multiple passengers compared to when driving alone.

3) No speeding
In a five-year study from 2016, AAA discovered that speeding was a factor in over one-third of all fatal crashes that involved teen drivers. Since majority of speed related crashes occur during inclement weather and on other road conditions, like traffic stops or winding roads, be sure to train your teen driver on how to manage their speed in these scenarios.

4) No driving while impaired
Consuming alcohol or other drugs in any amount, makes them unfit to drive and can result in a DUI or worse. While it can be harder to recognize, driving while drowsy is also considered an “impairment” and increases crash risk. Impaired driving affects judgment, reaction times, and awareness, which makes it especially dangerous for teen drivers whose inexperience already places them more than four times the crash rate as adults.

Pennsylvania's Zero Tolerance Law carries serious consequences for those under 21 who are convicted of driving with any amount of alcohol in their blood. For example, those under 21 who are convicted of driving under the influence with a .02 blood alcohol content, or greater, face severe penalties, including a 12-to 18-month license suspension, 48 hours to six months in jail, and fines from $500 to $5,000.

5) No driving or riding without a seat belt
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teens, as both passengers and drivers, have the lowest rate of seat belt use of any age group. Using a seat belt is one of the most effective ways to save lives and reduce injuries in an event of a crash. A NHTSA study found that, between 1960 and 2012, seat belts saved more lives than all other vehicle technologies combined, including air bags, energy-absorbing steering assemblies, and electronic stability control.

What Can You Do?
Beyond sharing facts and statistics about teen distracted driving, parents and guardians should take the time to do the following:

• Familiarize yourself with Pennsylvania driving restrictions and laws by visiting your local DMV or www.dmv.pa.gov. Create your own rules if necessary, such as restricting the number of passengers your teen can have or the hours your teen can drive.
• Establish consequences you will enforce if your teen doesn’t obey traffic laws or rules that you’ve set. You may consider suspending their driving privileges or limiting the places where they can drive.
• Set an example. Parents are the biggest influencers on their teen’s driving habits so be consistent between the message you tell them and your own driving behaviors.
   

AAA plays a key role in preparing teens for their journey of independence by offering the How to Drive Online supplemental program, a 25-hour course, which delivers rules and essential elements of safe driving in an interactive and innovative way. This online program–aims to ensure that safe driving habits are developed and maintained for life.

For more information about this online course, visit AAA.com/DriverTraining.