AAA Mid-Atlantic Urges Parents to Prepare their Teen Driver for the Road Ahead

National Teen Driver Safety Week is October 15-21, 2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA (October 13, 2017) – AAA Mid-Atlantic joins the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other traffic safety groups during National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 15-21) to encourage all parents to talk to their teen drivers about the rules of the road.

“Parents have a very strong influence on their teens, even as they grow older and become more independent, and play an important role in helping ensure their teen drivers take smart steps to stay safe on the road,” said Jana L. Tidwell, manager of Public and Government Affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Parents and caregivers are urged to talk with their teens to address the most dangerous and deadly teen driving behaviors: alcohol, lack of seat belt use, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding, and driving with passengers.”

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States - ahead of all other types of injury, disease or violence. In 2015, an estimated 939,000 drivers aged 15 to 19 were involved in police-reported crashes, which resulted in 3,516 deaths and an estimated 359,000 injuries, according to NHTSA.

In Pennsylvania, there were 17,350 drivers between ages 16 and 19 involved in crashes in 2016, according to PennDOT.

Pennsylvania crashes involving young (15-19-year-old) drivers resulted in 114 fatalities:

• 47 teen driver

• 19 passengers in young driver’s vehicles

• 37 occupants of other vehicles

• 11 non-occupants

Parents and caregivers are advised to discuss with their teen drivers the basic rules when behind the wheel to help reduce the risks for a crash:

No Drinking and Driving. Nationally in 2015, almost one out of five teen passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking. Remind your teen that driving under the influence of any impairing substance, including illicit and prescription drugs, could have deadly consequences and is strictly enforced.

• In Pennsylvania - twelve percent of the driver fatalities reported last year in the 16 to 20 age group were drinking drivers.

Buckle Up—Every Trip, Every Time, Everyone—Front Seat and Back. Wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest ways for teens to stay safe in a vehicle and it is required in all 50 states. Yet too many teens are not buckling up, and neither are their passengers. In 2015, 531 passengers died in a car, truck, or SUV driven by a teen driver, and 58 percent of those passengers were NOT buckled up at the time of the fatal crash. Even more troubling, in 84 percent of cases when the teen driver was unbuckled, the passengers were also unbuckled. Set an example - research shows that children are likely to be buckled 92% of the time when adults are buckled.

• In Pennsylvania – last year, 52 percent of all people who died in crashes were not wearing seat belts.

Eyes on the Road. Hands on the Wheel. All the Time. Distractions while driving are more than just risky—they can be deadly.  In 2015, among teen passenger-vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes, 10 percent were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. Remind your teen about the dangers of texting and using a phone while driving. Distracted driving isn’t limited to cell phone use; other passengers, audio and climate controls in the vehicle, and eating or drinking while driving are all examples of dangerous distractions for teen drivers.

• In Pennsylvania – distracted drivers were involved in 16,036 crashes, 61 were fatal crashes.

Follow the Posted Speed Limit. Speeding is a critical issue for all drivers, especially for teens. In 2015, almost one-third (29 percent) of teen passenger vehicle drivers involved in a fatal crash were speeding at the time of the crash. Remind your teen to always drive within the speed limit.

• In Pennsylvania – there were 31,083 speed-related crashes last year, 458 were fatal crashes.

Avoid Driving Tired. Teens are busier than ever – studying, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, and spending time with friends are among the long list of things they do to fill their time. However, with all of these activities, teens tend to compromise something very important: sleep. Make sure your teen gets a good night’s sleep; their grades, their friends, their passengers, and other drivers will thank them because they’ll be a safer driver. 

• In Pennsylvania – there were 2,625 crashes, 25 were fatal, last year involving a drowsy driver.

Passengers. According to data analyzed by NHTSA, teen drivers were 2.5 times more likely to engage in one or more potentially risky behaviors when driving with one teenage peer, when compared to driving alone. The likelihood of teen drivers engaging in risky behaviors triples when driving with multiple passengers.

Parents can help protect their teen drivers by talking with them about these risks. Surveys show that teens whose parents set firm rules for driving typically engage in less risky driving behaviors and are involved in fewer crashes. Parents can create a parent-teen driving agreement that includes strict ground rules related to distraction while driving and teen passenger limits, as well as other risky behaviors such as speeding. Any violations should result in consequences such as a suspension of driving privileges. 

“We hope parents will start the conversation about safe driving during National Teen Driver Safety Week – but then continue the conversations—every day throughout the year—to help keep their teens safe behind the wheel,” added Tidwell.

TeenDriving.AAA.com has a variety of tools to help prepare parents and teens on the process of learning to drive. The online AAA StartSmart program also offers great resources for parents on how to become effective in-car coaches as well as advice on how to manage their teen’s overall driving privileges. Teens preparing for the responsibility of driving should enroll in a driver education program that teaches how to avoid driver distraction and other safety skills.

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AAA provides automotive, travel and insurance services to 57 million members nationwide and more than three million members in Pennsylvania.  AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years.  The not-for-profit, fully tax-paying member organization works on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android.  For more information, visit www.AAA.com.