Teen driving - keep modelling and telling them about safe driving

April 05, 2016, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

A recent New York Times article spoke to me as a parent, a driver, and as a personal injury lawyer. It started with the usual refrain that we are a generation of helicopter parents, and that by and large our input isn't considered welcome or necessary but our kids. It went on however, to point out that we simply don't talk enough about driving safety.

According to Nichole Morris, principal researcher at the HumanFIRSTLaboratory in Minnesota,

“If you’re going to have an early, untimely death, the most dangerous two years of your life are between 16 and 17, and the reason for that is driving.”

The leading cause of death in the US and Canada for this age group is by far and away driving accidents. It’s greater than suicide, cancer or other accidents. In the USA there are an average of 6 teen drivers dying every day in car crashes, and over 1000 a day injured in crashes. Statistically almost 25% of teen drivers are in an accident in the first 6 months of driving according to a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute researcher.

Technology conspires against all drivers, but novice ones especially. Novice drivers face challenges of inexperience in driving, underdeveloped sense of danger, and simple recklessness. The new computer screen displays in cars serve as a distraction with GPS systems, automatic text displays, email capabilities, and complex music and climate control systems. It seems that as we tell drivers to focus on the road we simultaneously give them reasons not to.

According to Dr. Morris research parents should be most worried about adding other passengers to the car. Adding a non-related passenger increases crash rates by 44%. The risk doubles as more people are added to the car. In this vein the restrictions on graduated licence drivers in Ontario is certainly on the right track. If the numbers are correct we should consider tightening the restrictions even further. In fact some jurisdictions like California, actually prohibit novice drivers from carrying any passengers in the car.

Dr. Morris points out that just because the rules about passengers lapse, that doesn’t mean parents should allow or encourage kids to drive their friends. The most dangerous combination is young male drivers with male passengers.

The university of Minnesota study installed cameras in teen driver cars for the period of year and found that even though the teens knew the cameras were in place they still continued to use their cellphones to check texts, to talk, or the look at Facebook at least once every trip. This is truly disturbing. When the risk of this distraction is combined with the novice driver risks accident rates increase again.

The best recommendation for parents? Be highly involved and opinionated in teaching your kids to drive. Model good driving habits. Give your kids the safest most advanced car to drive. It will provide them with the most protection in an accident. It’s expensive but worth the cost in a crash.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

The opinions expressed here, while intended to provide useful information, should not be interpreted as legal recommendations or advice.