So, your teenager has obtained his driving permit, and is eager to get out on the road. As a parent, you on the other hand, may have mixed feelings about his starting to drive. You might even be downright uneasy about it. As parents and community members, we all recognize that this is an exciting time for teenagers but a baffling time for us as we recognize the complexity of learning to drive safely. After all, teenagers are those drivers who are most likely to be involved in traffic accidents. Teen drivers, their parents, and teachers, all should have a vested interest in finding innovative ways to reduce this danger.
The Automobile Association of America’s Foundation for Traffic Safety provides us with research and educational tools to help reduce the risk. One of the research endeavors recently published by the foundation analyzed the changes in teen driving over the first few years after licensure, and specifically analyzed how different types of accidents might be reduced significantly both through better practice policy enforcement as well as through individual changes in parental supervision of new teen drivers.
Graduated Licensing Systems
Most states have (including New York State) by now, implemented graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems for beginning drivers. These policies allow driving by new teen drivers only while being supervised by a licensed adult driver, presumably a parent, for at least six months. Proper understanding of the GDL provides us with the recognition that adults supervising new drivers can help promote good habits, as well as emphasize “bad risk behavior” associated with inexperience and distraction among young drivers. It is generally agreed upon by parents, instructors, and policy-makers alike, that longer practice time is a factor that clearly reduces risks that may lead to morbidity and mortality from motor vehicle crashes in which young drivers were involved. Parents’ approach during the teens supervised learning time greatly affects the experience and the ability of the teen to reduce the risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident. It is recommended that the supervising parent be an active participant in the driving experience, counseling the young driver about various possible risky distractions on the road.
Curb Distractions
Distractions both inside and outside the car greatly increase the chance of car accidents, especially in the first six months after young drivers are issued licenses. Examples of distraction inside the car include chatting with other passengers in the car, reaching, even briefly, to tune the car radio or to text on a cell phone. Examples of distractions outside the car include darkness, stop and go traffic, precipitation and social gathering on street corners, to name a few; these are, obviously, to a greater extent, much less in a driver’s control. In addition, teenage pedestrians using cell phones on the street are also more likely to be involved in car accident due to their distraction with the cell phone while crossing the street or standing nearby.
Despite valiant efforts to curtail the problem with the implementation of major policy changes of the above kind, motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. In 2011, approximately three-quarter of a million young drivers aged 15-18 were involved in car accidents, which were reported to the police. Approximately 280,000 people were reported injured, and 2805 were killed as a result of these motor vehicle accidents.
Parents Can Help
A precipitous drop in the crash rate occurs after the first six months of driving, especially since GDL systems have been in place. Teen drivers are, in fact, more likely to crash in the first month of having a license than they are after a full year of experience. After two years, the chance that a teen will crash is half of that of the month first driving. Most crashes in which teens are involved during these first months include inattention as well as failure to slow down and failure to yield; another common problem includes driver fatigue and, unfortunately, at times, impairment due to alcohol or substance consumption. The frequency of crashes may be reduced with better instruction about these risks, with more practice prior to final licensure, and with supervised practice in a wide variety of situations. Discussions about avoidance of precarious situations are always prudent. Parents may benefit from familiarizing themselves with materials that offer advice on how to prepare to teach teenagers to drive prior to the sessions. An example of worthwhile materials can be found at AAA Keys2Drive, an online resource for parents and teens which contains examples of a teen-parent agreement for safe driving behavior, as well as interactive materials specific to state regarding laws and licensing processes as well as safety quizzes for the young driver.
Most parents recognize the importance of giving the teen driver “a lot of practice”. The sheer importance of practice under a variety of conditions, until now unrecognized, should be emphasized – on different types of roads, including two lane side streets, in different traffic and weather conditions, and at all times of day. Difficult as it may be, with parental work and students busy after-school activity schedules, it is also wise to remember to practice at different times of day, not only on Sunday afternoons, or in “controlled conditions.” The supervision given by a parent during these varied conditions, and anticipatory guidance about possible “outside” and “inside” distractions, may prevent devastating motor vehicle accidents in our communities.
Karen J Browner-Elhanan, M.D., FAAP is medical director of Bridgespan Medicine, assoc. with Children’s and Women’s physicians of Westchester. She’s an attending physician at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and Maria Ferrari Children’s Hospital, and on the teaching faculty at NY Medical College. Browner-Elhanan is board certified in Pediatrics and in the sub-specialty of adolescent medicine. She has experience in medical education, and is a member of American Academy of Pediatrics advisory board for adolescent medicine. She has interests in pediatric advocacy and specialized care to adolescents related to prevention of injuries and high-risk behaviors, as well as adolescent primary care.
