Talk with your teens about driver safety

National Teen Driver Safety Week begins on Sunday, the perfect time to chat with your teen about things like distracted driving, seat belts, speeding and impaired driving.

One of the most common and dangerous distractions for teens behind the wheel are cell phones. Of course, we bought them the phones for emergencies and to keep in touch with us, but they’ve been proven a deadly distraction for all drivers, especially teens.

Just the act of dialing a cell phone increases the crash risk by three times.

For drivers under age 20 involved in fatal crashes, 19 percent of those were distracted by the use of cell phones.

Some activities, like texting, take the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and for longer periods of time than other distractions.

Seat belts are a requirement in Wyoming for everyone in the car, not just the teen driver. Unfortunately, teens are less likely to wear a seat belt, either as a passenger or as a driver.

In 2013, 52 percent of teens who died in crashes were not wearing a seat belt. When used properly, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent.

One of the best things you can do as a parent is be a role model when it comes to wearing your seat belt. If children see you wearing your seat belt, they are more apt to wear their seat belt, too.

We all remember the moment we got our first license – that piece of plastic with our photo on it that symbolized greater independence and freedom.

What we didn’t realize at the time was the dangers associated with that rite of passage.

Speeding or going too fast for road conditions is a major factor in teen crash fatalities. Speeding increases the stopping distance required to avoid a crash even as it reduces the amount of time a teen has to react to the situation.

Teens driving 40 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h. zone may think they’re ‘only’ going 10 m.p.h. over the speed limit, but that small increase in speed translates to a 78 percent increase in collision energy.

Talk to your teens about driving over the speed limit in residential zones. Children have a tendency to run into the street after a ball or a family pet may jump onto the road. By speeding through residential areas, teens are more likely to be unable to stop before tragedy strikes.

As your teen is learning to drive, be sure to emphasize driving the right speed for the right conditions, too. A road that is dry may be fine to drive the speed limit, but a little rain or snow can change that drastically.

Its no secret teens will experiment with drugs or alcohol and both are particularly hazardous when combined with driving.

A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found 22 percent of drivers tested positive for at least one drug that could affect safety, including marijuana, other illegal drugs, prescription drugs and even over-the-counter medications.

While the number of drivers under the influence of alcohol had drastically declined, there has been a large increase in impaired driving from these other substances.

Talking with your teen about impaired driving is imperative, including getting in a car with someone who has been drinking.

Of teen drivers who died in crashes, 41 percent had a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit and nearly a quarter of teen passengers admit to riding with someone who had been drinking.