Distracted driving takes away teenagers’ lives. Every year, traffic accidents claim the lives of 4,000 children and injure another 400,000. Since teenagers are unskilled drivers, having other teenagers in the car increases the risk of an accident.
Most of the teenage collisions are not caused by drunk driving. In 75% of teenage fatal crashes, there is no evidence of drug or alcohol use. It is driving with recklessness. The risks associated with teen driving are increased by several risk factors, such as talking to other teenagers while driving, eating and driving, not using a seat belt, and using a cell phone. 50% of the children who had car crashes were not wearing seat belts. Another 25% of car collisions in teens are caused by texting or browsing social media while driving.
Teenage drivers face eight risk zones. When they start driving, they should follow safe driving practices. Because teenagers are inexperienced drivers, the vast majority of car accidents occur within their first year of driving. Other factors include driving with other teen passengers, driving at night, driving when distracted, and so on.
Discuss the dangers of distracted driving with teenagers early and often. Parents have the most impact on their teenagers, so get off to a good start. Raising awareness of the dangers of distracted driving, as well as stressing the importance of responsible and focused driving habits, will save lives and reduce traffic accidents.
