Editorial

Keep your teens — and yourself — safe on our crowded roads

Posted

Summer driving season is in full swing, and we’re out on the roads in large numbers. The absence of winter’s dangers can make it seem like a safer time to drive, but according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are roughly twice as many automotive deaths in the summer as there are in the other three seasons combined.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds that the average number of teen driving fatalities doubles in June, July and August. Drivers ages 16 to 19 are three times as likely as those 20 or older to be involved in fatal accidents. The death rate for males in that age group is twice that of females, according to the CDC, and the risk of a crash increases with the number of passengers.

Technology is a major contributor to distracted driving, and given the ubiquity of mobile devices, we live in an era of great risk for such behavior. Add to that statistics showing that teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or hazardous conditions, more likely to speed and to tailgate, and have the lowest rate of seat belt use, according to the CDC. As well, about a quarter of fatal accidents among teens involve alcohol, and they are more susceptible to crashing at all levels of blood alcohol concentration than older drivers.

And according to a study by the AAA Foundation, about one-third of the people killed in crashes involving drivers ages 15 to 17 between 1998 and 2007 were not in the teens’ vehicles. Unsafe teen driving presents a serious risk to those in other vehicles as well as cyclists and pedestrians.

The Community Parent Center, in Merrick, urges parents to review safe driving practices with their teens, and to monitor what they do behind the wheel. Parents play a critical role in reducing their kids’ risky behavior, even if they aren’t riding along when they drive.

Limiting the number of passengers in a vehicle driven by a teenager is another important step. The risk of a crash doubles with one passenger, and increases five times with two or more. Carloads of friends are unsafe, and parents should be aware of who’s riding along with their teens and do their best to enforce rules about it.

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