Teen Driver Safety

TEEN DRIVER FROM CHEVY:
SAFETY OR SPY?
As an injury lawyer, I am not surprised to repeatedly hear that crashes are the leading cause of death of 16- to 20-year-olds. Inexperience, poor judgment, peer pressure, and a feeling of invincibility conspire to cause reckless behaviors, and dangerous over-reactions while driving.

Teens don't really understand just how long or fragile life is, or how much pain their loss would cause their family and friends. Nevertheless, we all remember the scare tactics of Driver’s Education class:  Blood-filled movies of real car accident victims, shown dead on the highway.

General Motors seems to think there is a better way. They call it “Teen Driver.” It is intended as a teaching tool.

The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu features this factory-installed, hard-wired technology that seems to touch almost every part of the vehicle. It will be rolled out to more vehicles soon, and Ford has a similar system as well.

Teen Driver mutes the stereo system until both driver and passenger seatbelts are fastened. Parents can even set volume limits on the radio and program speed maximums that will sound an alarm. While kids might ignore the alarms, they will face the fact that Mom and Dad will have a “Report Card” reflecting all of the following juicy information:
1. Every time a set speed parameter was broken
2. Every time a forward collision alert sounded
3. Every time a lane departure alert went off
4. Every time the safety devices, like anti-lock brakes, triggered.


In theory, the teen would also be able to prove that he or she was, in fact, driving safely. And, they may be much less likely to text or be distracted if they are mindful that swerving is recorded. While some teens are likely to see it as spying and resent the intrusion of the privacy many covet, I think it will help develop better habits behind the wheel for teens.
Given that the teen death rate is about triple compared those over 20 years old, any progress is represented as less teen funerals.

We can all agree that safer teen driving is a very good thing.

TEN TIPS ON TEACHING KIDS TO DRIVE

TEN TIPS ON TEACHING YOUR KIDS TO DRIVE

Teaching your kids to drive safely may be one of the most important lessons you ever pass onto them. I do nothing but injury law, so I see injuries from car and truck accidents literally every single day. Driving is the most dangerous thing we do, much more so than flying, or even tornadoes and earthquakes. In fact, traffic accidents kill more than all natural disasters combined. So, sign your kids up for driving classes if you can. In any event, here are some critical things you, as the parent, can stress with your kids:

HANG UP AND DRIVE! It is reported that speaking on a cell phone while driving reduces focus on the road and the act of driving by 37%, regardless of whether it is hands-free or hand-held cell phone operation.

NO TEXTING! Because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction. Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, while blind.

SLOW DOWN! Tell them any risky moves seen by anyone, and the car may be sold. You are the parent, not the friend.

BRAKING TAKES TIME! Go to a safe place and let them feel how long it really takes to go from highway speed to a stop. It might surprise them.

NOT EVEN A SIP! For drivers 21 - 44 alcohol plays a role in almost 50% of all fatalities! Tell them, not only are you likely to kill a friend drinking and driving, but you also get a felony conviction, never get to own guns or vote, you have to go to jail and your family likely loses their house.  All that for a beer or a buzz, is just crazy!

WEAR SAFETY BELTS! Almost 70% of people who die in vehicles are not properly wearing safety restraints.  You need to set the example. They won’t drive without their music, and they should not drive without their belts.

DON’T OVERCORRECT! This is critical. Let them put two wheels on a level stretch of the gravel shoulder and just hold. The sudden sound of gravel will often cause them to jerk left violently and lose control. Steady controlled movement will put them safely back on the asphalt. Do it until they do not panic anymore. By the way, it is sadly better to hit an animal than to wreck, so cover that, too.

LOOK TWICE! It is not enough to “look both ways.” They must do that, but twice! Motorcycles are much harder to see, and even cars can seem to hide. Many people who hit and injure my clients say they “never saw” our car.  They did not see it, because they did not look twice.  

LEFT LANE IS PASSING ONLY!

CALL YOUR PARENTS: Anytime, anywhere –rather than ride with a risky or drunk driver.  You will be picked up without punishment…but alive.

WARNING: Teens Driving

TEENAGE DRIVING OFTEN DEADLY

Ask any teen made to pay his or her own car insurance and they will tell you: it’s expensive!!

Since insurance is all about risk, these high premiums indicate the problem. Drivers aged 16- to 19-years-old are far more at risk for accidents than any other age group. In fact, for each mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are almost four times more likely than other drivers to crash than many other age groups.

Is it an urban myth that male teen drivers are in more accidents? No. The insurance rates are set in part by statistics from real crash data. The car accident death rate for teen male drivers and passengers is more than one and a half times female teen driver (19.4 killed per 100,000 male drivers compared with 11.1 killed per 100,000 female drivers). This does not mean that boys are worse drivers. Teen girls cause a lot of accidents. But the boys test themselves at much higher speeds on average.

This year we will lose over 5,000 teens ages 16 to 20 in car crashes. Almost 400,000 drivers age 16 to 20 will be seriously injured in these accidents in the same time! This is about the entire population of metro Knoxville, Tennessee, hurt every year.

Alcohol is a serious problem. In one reported survey, almost 30% of teens reported that just within the previous 30 days, they had ridden in a car with a driver drinking alcohol. Many rural teens grow up drinking and driving through the country on weekend nights. More than half of teen deaths from car crashes occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight and 54% occurred on weekends: Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. It is only a matter of time until there is a crash. Unfortunately, the inevitable crash is almost always at high speed. In fact, 23% of drivers age 15 to 20 who died in car crashes had a Blood Alcohol Reading of 0.08 or higher.

The “Immortality Complex.” Teens are also more dangerous because they do not intrinsically understand that they can actually be hurt or die. This minimizes seat belt use. It was found that with teen drivers killed in auto crashes after drinking and driving, a full 74% did not wear a seat belt.

Jeff Foxworthy is credited with a relevant quote. He says the last words of many a redneck are, “Hey guys, watch this!” The stereotype of the daredevil male teen driver, with a beer between his legs, the stereo blaring and a back seat full of friends rocketing through the curvy rural roads at night at 85 mph are supported by common experience and crash statistics.

Recent changes in Tennessee law limiting passengers for beginning drivers are hoped to reduce the tragedies. In the meantime, new technology that reads and reports speeding to parents remotely might hold some promise.

But for us parents, there will be a lot of sleepless nights.

Mr. Peel is a local attorney who practices in the areas of Accident, Injuries, Malpractice and Nursing Home Neglect. Mr. Peel often addresses churches and clubs and can be contacted through www.PeelLawFirm.com, wherein other articles can also be found.