Teens’ Biggest Dangers
Teens’ biggest dangers – part one
Newly licensed teens crash much more often than older, more experienced drivers. These are the circumstances that are the most common trouble areas for young drivers.
Speeding
We have seen a disturbing increase in speeding in the last 2 years. According to NHTSA, in 2021, speeding was a factor in 32% of fatal crashes among teen drivers 15-18 years. The rate of these fatalities among males was nearly double that of females. Spend time talking to your teen about speeding and model this by following the speed limit yourself. Lastly, studies show that teens are less likely to speed if they drive the family car, instead of having their own vehicle.
Teen passengers
Research is clear on the fact that risky teen driving behaviors increase in the presence of teen passengers. A teen who is driving with other teens in the car is more likely to crash. And the more kids there are in the car, the stronger the likelihood of a crash. This is the primary reason many states have passed laws that restrict the ability of teens to drive with their peers.
Seatbelts
It’s a shocking statistic, but 51% of teen drivers killed in 2021 were unbuckled. A 2018 study showed that while seat belt use among teens and young adults increased in the past decade to 87 percent, this age group, (age 16–24), still has the lowest seat belt use of any other age group. In 2019, 43 percent of high school students did not always wear a seat belt as a passenger. Whether sitting in the front or back of a car, buckle up every trip and remind other passengers to buckle up too. It could save their lives, and yours. Please visit NHTSA’s website for more information https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts.
Drugs and alcohol
Teens are at far greater risk of death in an alcohol-related crash than the overall population. This is despite the fact they cannot legally purchase or publicly possess alcohol in any state. For people under 21, “zero tolerance” laws make it illegal to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in their system. These laws, along with laws that maintain the minimum legal drinking age at 21, are in place in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They have had a clear effect on highway safety, and have saved tens of thousands of lives since their implementation. When alcohol is added to the inexperience of teen drivers, the results can be deadly. In 2019, nearly 16 percent of teenagers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking. Marijuana is the drug that’s most commonly found in the blood of drivers who have been in a car crash. It is important to enforce a zero-tolerance policy at home. If your teen uses any alcohol or drugs, they cannot drive, nor should they ride with anyone who has been drinking or using drugs — in any amount.
Fatigue
As teens get older their bedtimes get later, but waking times do not tend to change. From age 13 to 19, nightly sleep is reduced by 40–50 minutes. Teen drivers who sleep less than 8 hours a night are 33 percent more likely to crash than teens who get more than 8 hours of sleep. This lack of sleep results in depressive moods, more risk-taking behaviors, and lower grades. It further reduces a person’s ability to process information, be attentive, and have good reflexes, which are all crucial to driving skills. Studies have shown that being awake for 18 hours has a similar impact to having a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of 0.08.
If you feel different, you drive different
Teens’ biggest dangers – part two
Distracted driving
A driver’s primary responsibility when behind the wheel is to focus on the act of driving. Any behavior that distracts from that activity increases the risk of a collision. In this age of electronic communication, the dangers of distractions have increased significantly. Use of electronic devices for any purpose, to send or receive communications, to surf the web, to view images, video, or anything at all, should absolutely be avoided. Some Kansas cities have ordinances prohibiting any use of cell phones, and there is a Kansas State Statute (K.S.A. 8-15.111) that makes it unlawful to manually type, send or read a written communication while operating a motor vehicle. Be aware of the law.
Inexperience
Just as it takes years to perfect any skill — athletic, artistic, or otherwise — it also takes years to be a truly good driver. Until teens are much more experienced, they run a greater risk of crashing, being hurt, and potentially dying. A driver’s license makes them a driver. Experience helps them become safer drivers.
Night driving
For teens, the most severe crashes occur at night and on weekends. Night driving is challenging for all drivers, but novice drivers do not have the experience to anticipate and react when visibility is reduced. When teens drive at night, it is more often with a lack of adult supervision, with other teen passengers, and at higher speeds — all of which increase risk.
Speed is everything
