ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the US. According to the national highway safety administration, in 2016 more than 35 hundred teens died in car crashes.
You feed them, clothe them and teach them the skills they need to succeed in life. One of the most basic skills is driving. It is not only important to teach them how to drive, but also the dangers that comes with driving impaired or distracted. In fact, new teen drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a deadly car crash. Sixty percent of these teen crashes are caused by distractions and a quarter of the teens have been drinking.
“Not paying attention to what’s coming up, pedestrians, bicyclists, other cars, red lights, stop lights,” said Sergeant Darren Dillon of the Orlando Police Department.
So what can you do to protect your teen? First have conversations early and often about the dangers of underage drinking, driving while under the influence and distracted driving. Make a parent-teen agreement that sets family rules against dangerous driving behaviors, such as texting and driving. Sixty four percent of all accidents have involved cell phones as a cause.
Sergeant Dillon stated, “Put the phone down it’s not worth your life or somebody else’s life.”
And finally teach by example. Teach your teens safe driving skills by not participating in these dangerous activities yourself.
Besides distractions, other leading causes of teen-involved fatal car crashes include speeding and not buckling up. Sixty percent of teen drivers killed in car crashed were not wearing a seat belt.
Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer and Editor.
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