Chicken Pox. Malaria. Measles. Those are just a few of the deadly diseases our society has brought under control in the 20th Century. But teenage driving? That one still has us stumped.
Today, motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for young people aged 16-20 years old. Thankfully, this rate is decreasing, but not quick enough. What can be done?
Educating our young drivers about the risks of unsafe behavior is important, and always needed. Encouraging safety belt usage and discouraging alcohol and cell-phone use while driving is important. And just good common sense training and coaching on how to develop your young driver’s skills to be an attentive and defensive driver is required. Then you hand them the keys, and you hope and trust they have listened and drive responsibly.
How else can we reduce risky driving behavior?
Monitor your driver. It’s as simple as that, and today’s technology provides you the tools to do it. GPS type devices, like AutoHabits, did not exist when parents of today’s teenagers were themselves the teenage drivers. Back in those days, did we all practice responsible driving habits? Did we ever push the boundaries? Of course we did…we were teenagers too. But would we have slowed down our speed, or not driven the car to places we were asked not to go if we knew our parents “were watching”?
Monitoring a teenage driver can greatly reduce risky driving behavior. It is not complicated, and it just makes sense. After all, what is most important to you? It is the safety of your child. That child now is a teenager, and it is natural for teenagers to push the boundaries and explore their new world. Driving gives them freedom, which is exciting! But for everyone’s sake, let’s all help our young drivers be safe!
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