This time of the year, a great many teens here in Texas are finishing up their school year and starting their summer vacation. Summer vacation can be a time full of friends and fun for teens. Parents of teens, remembering what it was like to be a teen and knowing what a special time of the year summer vacation can be at that age, may be inclined to give their kids some space over summer vacation and to not really get on their kids’ case about things. One thing though that parents should make sure to not become any less vigilant about conveying to their teens during summer vacation is how important safe driving is.
Summer vacation historically has been a very dangerous period of time for teen drivers. In fact, the deadliest 100-day period when it comes to teen drivers is generally considered to be the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during this period in 2012, around 1,000 traffic deaths occurred in teen-driver-related accidents. A little over half of these deceased were teens.
Why is this period of time so dangerous for teen drivers? One thing that might be behind this is that teen drivers are often more likely to be driving with bigger numbers of passengers and driving in relation to recreation activities during summer vacation than they are during the school year. Such things can present some significant distraction risks for teens when they are behind the wheel. When teen drivers engage in distracted driving, accidents can occur which can expose teen drivers, their passengers and other motorists to significant, and even fatal, harm.
Thus, this summer vacation, one hopes that all parents of teen drivers do what they can to ensure that their kids understand why distracted driving is so harmful and why they should be doing everything they can to keep their attention on the road when driving,
What do you think are some of the best ways for parents to help get the point across to their teens about the importance of attentive driving and other safe driving conduct?
Source: KETK, “100 deadliest days for teen drivers,” Marlena Hamilton, May 26, 2014