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Teen Driving Fatalities Down, But Parents Hold Keys to Enhanced Safety

A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report provides some good news for parents of teenagers. Over the past several years, the number of 16- and 17-year-old drivers in fatal car crashes fell by more than one third, continuing a trend that started in 1996. The troubling news: car crashes are still the foremost cause of death for teens, and eight teen deaths occur on an average day on American streets and highways.

The CDC's new "Parents Are the Key" campaign aims to empower parents with strategies to influence the habits of young drivers to make them safer and more aware. The three pillars of this strategy are practical steps that every parent can easily implement:

  • Extending teens' supervised driving periods beyond the legal minimum to fully assess skills and reactions
  • Clearly explaining and reinforcing the rules of the road
  • Creating parent-teen agreements to hold young drivers accountable to expectations

By playing a key role in shaping teen driving habits, parents can influence several enhanced risks to young drivers. Their crash rates are four times as high as their elders, the likelihood of accidents goes up when other teens are in the car, and nighttime crash rates double daytime rates.

Highway Dangers, Family Tragedies

The deepest hope of any parent is to never receive a late night call from the Highway Patrol with devastating news about catastrophic injuries or a young life that ends senselessly. Statistics show that sharing common sense advice with your children about cell phone use and car accidents, the importance of seat belts, speeding and tailgating, and the dangers of drinking and drug use makes a difference.

Repeating that advice is just as important. Defensive driving is an acquired skill built upon awareness, observation, consistency and good habits. But roads remain dangerous nonetheless. Families who suffer the ultimate loss in a tragic car accident can gain focus and peace of mind by consulting with a personal injury law firm about their legal options.