Nationally, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20 year olds. To reduce the number of teen traffic fatalities, the U.S. Department of Transportation is stressing the importance of parents in teaching teens safe driving habits.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx recently lauded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “
5 to Drive” campaign, which aims to address this issue by getting parents involved in educating their children about traffic safety. The campaign “teaches rules of the road to raise awareness of the dangerous choices teens make due to a lack of maturity, a penchant for taking risks, and their overall inexperience behind the wheel.”
The campaign suggests that parents discuss the following five topics with their children and educate them about the associated dangers.
- No cellphone use while driving: in 2012, 10% of people killed in teen driving crashes died when a teen driver was distracted.
- No extra passengers: NHTSA research found that a teen is 2.5 times more likely to engage in risky behavior with a teen passenger in the car.
- No speeding: in 2012, almost half of fatal teen crashes involved speeding.
- No alcohol: over a quarter of teen drivers killed in crashes in 2012 had been drinking at the time.
- No driving or riding without a seatbelt: more than half of 15 to 20 year olds killed in car crashes in 2012 were not wearing a seatbelt.
The “5 to Drive” campaign also encourages parents to lead by example and practice safe driving habits, because teens often mimic their parents’ behavior when they begin to drive.
