Westwood, MA— National Teen Driver Safety Week is October 16-22, 2022 — the perfect opportunity to talk with teens about safe driving habits.
AAA Northeast hopes to empower parents to discuss safe driving habits with their young drivers. Assure your teen driver knows the Junior Operator Laws, and you’ve signed a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement before you hand over the keys. Ultimately, parents are in control.
In Massachusetts over 16,000 teen drivers 16-19 years of age were involved in crashes in 2021, equating to one teen-involved crash every 32 minutes. Teen driver fatalities and serious injuries were the highest since 2012; 144 teen drivers were killed or very seriously injured, and 2,160 teen drivers were injured. Factors contributing to teen driver crashes in Massachusetts in 2021 included:
o Failure to yield right of way (2,668 crashes)
o Followed too closely (2,071 crashes)
o Speeding / driving too fast for conditions (1,039 crashes)
o Failing to keep in proper lane / running off road (824 crashes)
“Parents play a critical role in teen driver safety and in communicating important driving safety information,” said Mary Maguire, Vice President of Public Affairs at AAA Northeast. “New 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,” she said. “This is why it’s so important for parents to have these discussions with their teens. Start the conversation today and continue it every day. AAA encourages families develop a parent-teen driving contract and agree on rules that exceed state laws. Have discussions with your teen drivers about risky driving behaviors that can lead to fatal consequences.”
These discussions should cover 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.
1. Impaired Driving: All teens are too young to legally buy, possess, or consume alcohol or cannabis. 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- cannabis affects a driver’s ability to react to their surroundings. Driving is a complex task and cannabis slows the reaction time. 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. Let teens know that positive driving behaviors are rewarded with the continued privilege to drive.
2. Seat Belt Safety: Wearing a seat belt is one simple way teens can stay safer in a vehicle. Unfortunately, too many teens aren’t buckling up. Over half (52%) of the teen passenger vehicle drivers who died in crashes in 2020 were unbuckled. Teen drivers and passengers are more likely to die in a crash if they are unbuckled (nine out of 10 of the passengers who died were also unbuckled). Empower teens to stand strong and confirm everyone is buckled up — including front seat and back seat passengers —before the vehicle moves. Reward teens with driving privileges for buckling up every trip, every time, and requiring their passengers to do the same.
3. Distracted Driving: In Massachusetts, inattention and distraction caused 3,710 crashes. Cell phone use while driving is more than just risky — it can be deadly. Texting while driving is outlawed in 47 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Remind teens about the dangers of using a phone while driving and clarify that any phone use (texting, talking, or using any 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
Parents can help teen drivers by discussing risky driving behaviors. Self-reported surveys show that teens whose parents set firm rules for driving typically engaged in less risky driving behaviors and were involved in fewer crashes.
Teens need to understand the rules, whether there are any other restrictions outlined in the Massachusetts’s Junior Operator License (JOL) law, and the deadly consequences that could occur. By knowing and enforcing the laws, the teen driver’s safety and that of other road users can be improved. The Parent’s Supervised Driving program guidebook is a wonderful resource for parents as they work on driving skills with young drivers. “Getting new drivers behind the wheel in diverse driving
environments is extremely important- log as many hours as possible and continue to practice even after they have earned their provisional license,” said Maguire.
