National Teen Driver Safety Week, which occurred earlier this month, served as a timely reminder of the dangers teen drivers face and can pose to others. These drivers have a higher risk of crashing than other age groups due to their inexperience. They’ve not had the practice that other drivers have had and have not yet had the opportunity to learn from their mistakes that other drivers have.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures for 2021 show that 170,083 people were injured in crashes where a teenager was driving. That’s 7% of all the injuries that occurred on the roads.
The campaign wants parents to help
Everyone knows teenagers make mistakes in many aspects of life, from dating to how they behave in school. You could call it part of growing up. So, it’s obvious they may also make mistakes when driving. The campaign wants parents to use their powers and influence over their children to help them avoid mistakes, just as they would in other areas of life. That can include:
- Accompanying them in the car to ensure they are driving safely
- Chatting to them about why certain behaviors are not acceptable when driving
- Restricting who they can take in the car and where and when they can use it
- Setting a good example to their children by modeling safe driving behaviors themselves
Parents can also take appropriate measures if their child does not act responsibly when behind the wheel. They can take the keys away for a bit, just as they might revoke their child’s privileges for poor behavior in other areas of life.
Road safety is a joint effort. No parent wants to see their child injured or injuring someone else in a crash. Yet, if a teenage driver injures you, you are within your rights to pursue compensation.