What You Can Do To Cut Your Crash Risk

Although crash risk for teens is high, crashes are preventable. There are many things you can do to stay safe behind the wheel. Be sure to gain driving skills and experience with a trusted adult and then avoid risky behaviors, such as failure to use your seat belt.

Distractions

Distractions such as peer passengers (driving friends around) and talking or texting on a cell phone while driving can be deadly. Only use a cell phone in the car in case of an emergency. Even then, be sure to pull over to make a call or send a text. For the first year of driving, do not carry peer passengers. After you’ve gained enough experience behind the wheel, talk to your parents about driving your friends. And then talk to your friends about how they can help reduce distractions when they are in your car.

Speeding

Always follow the posted speed limit. It’s in place to help you stay in control of the car. Going any faster is hazardous, especially for new drivers. Speed limits are set based on ideal conditions. So if you are driving at night, in bad weather, or in high traffic volume, you need to drive below the speed limit.

Driving At Night

All drivers need to slow down and be more cautious at night. But experienced drivers are able to anticipate and avoid hazards more quickly than new drivers. With practice and time, you will become a better nighttime driver. Until then, be sure to log plenty of practice hours at night with an adult before driving alone, and then stick to familiar and well-lit driving routes before venturing out on unfamiliar roads.

Seat Belt Use

Teens buckle up the least of any age group, and the consequences are deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009 the majority (56 percent) of teens and young adults ages 16 to 20 that died in crashes were not wearing their seat belt. Make sure you buckle up every time you get into the car, as a driver and a passenger.

Scanning to Detect and React to Hazards

Failure to scan to detect and react to hazards is a critical error teen drivers make and leads to a significant percentage of serious crashes. An implicit skill that experienced drivers gain over time, scanning involves observing the surroudings far ahead of the vehicle and side-to-side, not just immediately in front of the hood. Be sure to remind your parents and driver ed instructor to work with you to build this skill. And remember to properly scan after years of driving. A recent study found that even in young adults with an average four years of driving experience, mind wandering tended to make them scan the driving environment more narrowly.

The best way to protect yourself behind the wheel? Gain experience. Understand that restrictions set by your parents and Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws in your state are designed to get you the experience you need to become a safe driver under safe conditions. These are not rules intended to control you, they are carefully designed to keep you safe as you learn to become a good driver. Following these rules, logging supervised miles on the road, and staying in control of your car and your passengers will help prevent you from crashing.