Teen Driving Mortality Rate To Drop If Young Drivers Follow Key Tips

Vehicle crashes are the most common cause of death among American teens. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) stated that 2,476 teenagers (13 to 19 years old) died due to car crashes in 2018. Another report from the Driving Test revealed that 30 percent of these deaths happen due to speeding. This prompted one Ohio police officer to post an open letter to the 18-year-old driver who he clocked after going 100 mph on a highway. The police officer reminded the driver that he already witnesses several dozens of car crashes caused by speeding. Those incidents resulted in death or serious injuries. Aside from minding their speed, there are different ways for teenagers to avoid fatal car crashes. If younger drivers follow these tips, they are more likely to avoid road mishaps when driving.

Practice Makes Perfect

Teenagers should have extra practice behind the wheel before being allowed to drive away on their own. Typically, the school driver’s education programs and private driving schools require six hours of training on the road, but the ideal number of hours that new drivers should spend in training should be at least fifty hours. If they have more time to learn the basics of driving, they will have a reduced risk of making fatal mistakes on the road.

Implement A Graduated Licensing Program

Most states grant teenage boys and girls aged 16 and over their driver’s license, but the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested that only teens aged 18 years or older should get the unrestricted driver’s license. They also recommended that young drivers must only drive with adult supervision for at least two years before receiving their licenses. According to an Orlando law firm, the most common accidents for teens are rear-ended crashes, running off, or making a left turn. If they are guided by experienced drivers, they will learn how to avoid these accidents that may cost them their lives.

Drive Cars Equipped With Safety Features

Since parents cannot keep their eyes on their teenage drivers all the time, they must make it a point to let them use vehicles with complete safety features. The cars that teenagers use should have stable seat belts to protect them from sudden crashes. Cars must also undergo regular maintenance to make sure that they have enough air pressure in the tires and essential oil and transmission fluids. If teens buy a new car, they should pick a model that comes with airbags, anti-lock braking systems, and traction control. It would also help if the car came with an automatic emergency braking system, a forward-collision warning feature, and lane-departure warning.

By following these tips, teenage car drivers will have more protection on the road. Doing so will help lower the possibility of encountering car accidents, since the young drivers will have more knowledge about how to behave while cruising the roads and highways. If teenage drivers can avoid road accidents, the teen mortality rate will drop significantly in the coming years.