Parents Are the Key to Teen Driving Success

National Teen Driver Safety Week is October 16-22, 2022 – the perfect opportunity to talk with teens about safe driving habits. This year, the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to empower parents to discuss safe driving habits with their young drivers. Make sure your teen driver knows the Rules of the Road before you hand over the keys. Ultimately, parents are in control.

“Teaching our young drivers about safe driving is vitally important to make sure they’re as safe as can be when traveling on our roads,” said Gov. Jim Justice.

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for teens (15-18 years old) in the United States. There were 2,276 people killed in crashes involving a teen passenger vehicle driver (15-18 years old) in 2020; 748 of the deaths were the teen driver. In 2020, 24 drivers under age 20 were killed in crashes in West Virginia. An estimated 90,564 teen passenger vehicle drivers were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide in 2020, and an estimated 153,566 people were injured in crashes involving a teen driver, accounting for almost 7% of all roadway injuries that year.

“Parents play the most critical role in teen driver safety. It’s up to parents to communicate crucial safety information,” said Bob Tipton, GHSP Director.

“Teen drivers are still gaining experience behind the wheel, which increases the chance of dangerous situations for the teen and other roadway users around them. That’s why it’s imperative for parents to have these discussions with their teens. Start the conversation today, and have it every day,” Tipton said.

It’s a parent’s responsibility to help teen drivers make smart choices to stay safe on the road. NHTSA gives parents and guardians tips on how to talk about safer driving. These tips include discussions on how to influence positive behaviors and how to approach dangerous and deadly driving behaviors such as alcohol and other drug use, lack of seat belt use, distracted driving, speeding, or driving with passengers. NHTSA’s website, www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-driving, has detailed information and statistics on teen driving, and outlines tips parents can use to address teen driver safety risks:

Impaired Driving: All teens are too young to legally buy, possess, or consume alcohol. Nationally, 19% of teen passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020 had alcohol in their system. Alcohol isn’t the only substance that can keep teens from driving safely: marijuana affects a driver’s ability to react to their surroundings. Remind teens that driving under the influence of any impairing substance — including illicit or prescription drugs, or over-the-counter medication — can have deadly consequences.

Seat Belt Safety: Wearing a seat belt is one way teens can stay safer in a vehicle. Unfortunately, too many teens aren’t buckling up. More than half (52%) of the teen passenger vehicle drivers who died in crashes in 2020 were unbuckled. Empower teens to stand strong and confirm everyone is buckled up — including front seat and back seat passengers — before the vehicle moves.

Distracted Driving: Cell phone use while driving is more than just risky — it can be deadly. Texting while driving is illegal in West Virginia. Remind teens about the dangers of using a phone while driving and clarify that any phone use (texting, talking, or using social media apps) is unacceptable. Even if they are stopped at a light, remind teens that posting on social media while driving is unacceptable and illegal.

Distracted driving isn’t limited to cell phone use. Other passengers, audio and climate controls in the vehicle, and eating or drinking while driving are all examples of dangerous distractions for any driver. According to the most recent data available, in 2020, among teen drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes, 7% were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. Remind teens that headphones are not appropriate to wear while driving a vehicle. All drivers need to be able to hear another vehicle’s horn or the siren from an emergency vehicle, so they can safely move over and out of the path.

Speed Limits: Speeding is a critical issue for all drivers, especially for teens who are less experienced. In 2020, almost one-third (31%) of all teen drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash. Males were more likely to be involved in fatal speeding-related crashes than females. Remind teens to always drive within the speed limit.

Passengers: Passengers in a teen’s vehicle can lead to disastrous consequences. Research shows the risk of a fatal crash dramatically increases in direct relation to the number of passengers in a vehicle. The likelihood that a teen driver will engage in risky behavior triples when multiple passengers are in the same vehicle. West Virginia’s Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) law limits passengers in vehicles driven by teen drivers depending on the GDL level.

“Parents need to teach their kids the safest practices and tell them how dangerous and risky behaviors such as texting while driving, speeding, or impaired driving are. They are illegal, but they can also lead to fatal consequences,” concluded Tipton.

For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.

Parents Are the Key to Teen Driving Success

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