Somebody Is Not Coming Home Tonight

This Article written by a hubpages.com Expert Writer.

5000:

An average of 5000 Teenagers die in automobile accidents yearly. That is exactly 5000 too many, although statistics do show a drop in the number of fatalities from the mid-1970s through the early 1990s, mostly due to seat belt and drunk driving laws that got tougher. That was then. This is today. Some of the fault for these staggering numbers is directly placed on Teen drivers because of such factors as immaturity and inexperience, however, other contributing factors that also must share some of the blame are speeding, a wide assortment of distractions, and other controllable elements. Teen driving deaths should not be considered an inevitable part of the Teen experience of putting 16-year olds behind the wheel of moving automobiles.

SOME ELEMENTS SURROUNDING TEEN AUTOMOBILE CRASHES:

For a brief moment let's just take a look at some of the typical elements surrounding most Teen deaths due to automobile crashes. It is your Teen's date night and he is late so he speeds. 35% of all Teen crash deaths occur because of this one single factor alone. Now, he wants to tell his date he is on his way. That just increased his risk of crashing, the simple act of calling her on the cellphone, by a whalloping 300%. Arriving to his date's location to pick her up affected the crash risk by 48%. The two Teens pick up another Teen friend of theirs, which, by itself, just increased the risk of fatality by 158%. Unbelievable numbers placing Teens at risk of being involved in a fatal traffic crash just to go on a date.

RISKY TIMES OF DAY:

Another rather bleak statistic is that almost 50% of all fatal Teen crashes occur at night. 50%. This statistic breaks the 24 hour day down like this: 4am to noon is the lowest risk time of the day. From noon to 8pm the risk slightly rises from the earlier time, however, from 8pm to 4am is the highest risk time of day for fatal Teen crashes, almost equalling the combined risks factors of the other periods put together. Also noted from the common statistics on this subject is that 16-year olds have a nearly doubled crash rate than 19-year olds do. A little older, a little safer?

SOME ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS:

Now, back to the date scenario for a moment. Your Teen enjoys good music so he plays around with the radio, while driving, to find a song he likes listening to. Radios rank as one of the Top Ten distractions when driving, and that is for all drivers, not just Teens. 87% of Teen deaths involve distracted drivers. Before arriving at their final destination they do what most Teens do and stop at a local drive-through restaurant on their way. Typical Teen behavior. 2% of Teen crashes are the result of eating at the wheel while driving. Your Teen is getting tired from the normal activities of the day. Sleep deprivation is common in almost one half of all Teens, and tired, young, drivers cause 55% of all crashes that involve Teen fatalities. It is now dark. Teens are three times more likely to die in a crash during the next nine hours than during the rest of the day.

Tough driving laws lower fatality rates, but other factors come into play as well, things like rural roads, higher speed limits, and fewer nearby medical facilities, are also big crash risk affectors. So, not wanting to punish your otherwise fairly responsible Teen by not allowing him to drive, although there is nothing wrong with making that decision at all, what is a loving, caring, nurturing, parent to do to help bring somebody back home again each time they drive? Tough question, and the answer is teach, fight, and get tough at home.

Another high risk factor that may play a role in Teens driving safely is their ability to control impulses while driving, something, in most cases, Teens are not medically able to do, because their brain's' prefrontal cortex, which allows Teens to handle the task of sorting all the external input they constantly receive from the world around them, is not fully developed yet.

Teens knowledge and understanding of what is risky while driving a vehicle has wide gaps. Teens fail to observe certain behaviors as being inherently dangerous, or they may fail to see these behaviors as their problems. One very large area of denial for some Teen drivers is the fact they have been drinking before driving. Alcohol consumption is the major cause of 25% of all fatal accidents involving Teen drivers whether they want to admit they have been drinking or not.

The lack of schools offering Driver Education courses, about only 20% of them now do, makes it the Parent's responsibility to teach their Teens about these risk factors, and how to avoid them when they are driving, and to ensure they do not drive into someone else head-on because they have not been enlightened about the dangers encountered while driving.

GRADUATED TEEN DRIVING LAWS:

Teens do not become good drivers simply because they turn 16 years old. Learning to be a good, safe, courteous, driver is a lifelong habit, Teens, like everbody else who drive moving vehicles, must learn, and for Teens, they need to be eased into becoming good drivers. Some elements that are designed to accomplish this standard are graduated driver licensing laws that impose necessary restrictions before Teens can earn their full licenses, and give Teen drivers more time behind the wheel with direct supervision, which makes a big difference on their abilities to safely drive a car.

Currently, 47 States have phase-in laws for Teen drivers to get their full licenses. Where are the other three? Eight States set the minimum age for a Driving Permit at 16-years old, less than 10 States do not allow Teens to drive after 10pm, and 12 States have strict passenger limitations on the number of passengers allowed in a moving vehicle driven by a Teen driver.

PARENTAL OBJECTIONS;

Some Parents objections to tougher Teen driving laws are claimed to be that they infringe on the Parent's right to decide when and with who their Teens can drive, although Teen crashes cost more than $34 billion damages annually, and there are those Teen drivers who appreciate having restrictions in place to help them safeguard against all the hectic distractions Teen drivers face.

SOME SUGGESTED PARENTAL RULES ABOUT TEENS DRIVING;

To further help ensure their Teen's safety, Parents have got to get tough at home regarding their Teen's driving in respect to things like when they get their licenses, when they are given the keys to the car, and even when they get the car. Parents need to make sure Teens wearing their seatbelts is common practice for their Teens because those are the Number One safety features of automobiles, and more than half the Teen drivers killed in fatal crashes were not buckled up in their seatbelts.

Enforcing simple little rules such as not starting the car without their seatbelts fastened on around them, and no late night driving, can be the rules that prevent your Teen from being involved in a fatal car crash.

Generally speaking, Parents are their Teens biggest influence. By increasing their abilities to teach their Teens some basic skills, Parents can help bring them back home safely again. Until Teens are totally confident behind the wheel of a vehicle, and Parents are confident they are, they should not allow them to get their Driver's license. ParenTS should set goals of practicing the skills needed by their Teens to drive, and practice them together for at least 50 hours before Teens take their road test, and more practice is even better, maybe as much as 100 hours would be enough for some Teen drivers learning how to drive responsibly.

The Parent's state of mind is very important when teaching their Teens how to drive a car. Their's all the more so. If any conflicts exist between the Teens and their Parents it is much better to reschedule the lessons. Teens tend to listen better if no tensions exist between them and their Parents while they are trying to learn how to properly drive. Along with this policy, Parents need to stay cool, be prepared, be patient, and do not yell at each other, it is not the time or the place for that. Debrief regularly to allow decompressing to occur for both the Parents and the Teens. It will be needed. After the practice sessions, Parents, have your Teens admit some things they did well, and more importantly, some skills they know they need more practice on.

When Parents first start teaching their Teens the proper techniques of driving, they should start out in an empty parking lot, and go slowly as they teach them the skills of driving low-speed through a low-volume traffic neighborhood, then garduating up to driving on busy streets and highways. Do not allow Teens to progress to the next level until you know they have well mastered the skill they are currently working on.

When a Teen is first learning how to drive a vehicle it is imperative that Parents have a way of intervening if they lose control of the vehicle. Practice reaching over, lefthanded, to safely take the wheel from them, and tell them, reassuringly, not to react to what you are doing, keep their hands on the wheel, and tell them when you are done they are back to having control of the vehicle by themselves.

THE BAD EXAMPLE?:

Finally, Parents, you are the bad example for Teens learning how to drive. Now is your chance to improve your driving habits and skills as well because your new Teen driver is watching you, and guess who's example they are going to follow? Yours. Therefore, you must set the very best examples you can possibly set for them to follow.

Somebody is not coming home tonight.

Is your very special somebody?