According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for America’s teens. While this is devastating to families, the good news is that teen car crashes are preventable.
How big is the problem of teens dying in fatal crashes? “In 2016, 2,433 teens in the United States ages 16–19 were killed and 292,742 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes.That means that six teens ages 16–19 died every day due to motor vehicle crashes and hundreds more were injured.
“In 2016, young people ages 15-19 represented 6.5% of the U.S. population. However, they accounted for an estimated $13.6 billion (8.4%) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries,” according to the CDC.
Developing Safe Driving Skills
As a parent, the worst thing you can imagine is your teen getting seriously injured or killed in a car accident due to driver inexperience or a lack of knowledge about safe driving. But by educating your son or daughter about driving safely, you can help prevent them from making an irreversible mistake.
Here are some safe driving tips to help your teen avoid injury:
- Always wear your seatbelt and insist that all of your passengers do before you put the car into drive.
- NEVER text while driving, and don’t let your friends do it while you’re a passenger.
- Never get into the car with someone who has been drinking alcohol.
- Obey the traffic laws.
- Do not drive while fatigued. Drowsy driving can be extremely dangerous.
- Do not drive under the influence of sedating medications, such as allergy medicine or sleeping pills.
- Drive defensively. Be alert and don’t assume you know what other drivers are going to do.
- Do not pull out in front of someone. Instead, wait for them to pass then pull out.
- Do not swerve into someone else’s lane.
- Do not follow other cars too closely.
- If you encounter an aggressive driver, stay out of their way.
- Always use your turn signal when turning.
- Maintain a safe following distance and don’t change lanes erratically.
- Do not wear earbuds or headphones while driving. You need to be able to hear what’s happening around you.
- Do not drive too fast for the road or weather conditions.
- Use your mirrors frequently while driving.
- Keep both hands on the wheel. If you’re in a crash and the airbags go off, you’ll be safer with your hands on the wheel, rather than having them fly into your face.
- When the light turns green, do not approach the intersection until you know it’s safe to go forward.
Related: Talking to Your Insurance Company After a Car Accident
Contact a Plano car accident attorney from The Zendeh Del Law Firm, PLLC today to file a claim for compensation.
