7 Deadly Things Teen Drivers Do And How To Avoid Them

6/25/2019

Sometimes we all do risky things in cars, however, teens seem to be much more prone to certain dangerous behaviors.

These 7 things are some of the most common dangers teen driver expose themselves to.

Risky Behavior 1: SKIPPING SEAT BELTS

More than a half of teens killed in crashes weren’t wearing their seat belt.

Safety Tip 1: Buckle up: every person, every time

Get your teen in the habit of making sure everyone in the car is buckled into their safety belt. Don't even pull out of the parking spot if even one person doesn't have their seatbelt buckled.

Risky Behavior 2: TEXTING WHILE DRIVING

On average, texting while driving takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds.
At 55 mph, that’s like traveling the length of a football field blindfolded
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Safety Tip 2: Don’t text and drive

This is one of the most dangerous things for teen driver. Every day, 11 teenagers die because they were texting while driving.

Risky Behavior 3: AFRAID, AND NOT SPEAKING UP

Half of teen passengers report feeling unsafe riding with a driver who isn’t alert.
One third of teens feel unsafe riding with a parent.

Safety Tip 3: Speak up when any driver is driving unsafely

Teens are less likely to speak up when they don't feel safe. Teach your teen to speak up if they feel someone driving is putting them in danger.

Risky Behavior 4: TOO MANY PASSENGERS

Many states have laws that limit the maximum number of passengers

Safety Tip 4: Limit the number of passengers in a car

Your teen driver is more likely to be distracted when more people ride along. This is such a serious risk that some states have even passed laws to keep teen drivers from having more than two passengers in their car at a time.

Risky Behavior 5: DRINKING AND DRIVING

15% of drivers between 15 – 19 who were killed in crashes had a Blood Alcohol Content of .08% or higher.

Safety Tip 5: Don’t drink and drive

Every 15 minutes a teen driver will die from drinking a driving. Don't risk it. Tell your teen not to drink, and it they do, never drive drunk.

Risky Behavior 6: DRIVING WHEN IT'S DARK

The risk of a fatal crash at night can be more than 3 times higher for teens than adults

Safety Tip 6: Only drive when it’s dark after extra practice

Driving in the dark takes a lot more skill and practice than most teens anticipate. Tell them that whatever they need can wait until daytime.

Risky Behavior 7: SPEEDING

More than 1/3 of teens killed in crashes were speeding
More than 2,500 teens die in car crashes every year
DON'T BE ONE OF THEM

Safety Tip 7: Follow the speed limit

Speeding is unfortunately a much more common practice for teens than it should be. The chance at a quick thrill tempts them to risk it all... while putting themselves in very serious danger.

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