As your child gets older, you start to prepare for having a teen driver in the house. While your child may be excited to have the freedom of a license, you worry about accidents that can happen on the road. Without the experience you have, your teenager may develop bad driving habits.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2017, 3,255 teens were in fatal car crashes. They have identified a few different habits that lead to teenagers driving dangerously. These habits include:
- Texting and driving – Many teenagers stay connected to the world with their smartphones. Texting and checking social media can distract them from the road, increasing the chances of a crash.
- Focusing on passengers – When teenagers drive with friends as passengers, they may focus more on the conversation than the road. And young passengers can encourage unsafe driving.
- Driving too fast – The NHTSA reports that 32% of fatal teenage accidents happen because of speeding. Inexperienced drivers don’t always know how quickly a speeding car can lose control.
- Not wearing a seat belt – Multiple studies show that seat belts save lives. Yet teens are the least likely to wear one.
Before your teenager heads out on the road, you can teach them to drive safely. Taking a role in your child’s driver education can help prevent bad habits from forming. And when you avoid these habits when you drive, you teach your teenager by example.
Good driving habits can help keep your child safer on the road. And keeping your child safer can help prevent a fatal crash.
