Improving Teen Driver Safety Through Greater Awareness

Improving Teen Driver Safety Through Greater Awareness

Statistics, research and experts have all indicated that teen drivers are more likely to be involved in some type of accident as compared to adults with years of driving experience. The good news is that improving teen driver safety can be accomplished through simply improving awareness. For example, distracted driving has become a buzz phrase in today’s society. This is likely due to the fact that distracted driving causes many accidents, injuries and loss of life.

Stopping Distances Increase Substantially

Teens should be instructed to never text, talk, eat or play with the radio while operating a motor vehicle. Of equal concern is when a large group of teens get together in an over crowded vehicle. Piling too many people into a car can cause a party atmosphere and increase pressure to drive more aggressively. Teens should play it safe and not overcrowd a vehicle at any time. Speeding is another situation that can cause accidents, injury and loss of life. Inexperienced teen drivers that speed excessively in an automobile may not know that stopping distances increase substantially under these conditions.

How To Handle Peer Pressure

Teens often experience peer pressure and will drive fast simply because they feel obligated to do so. In truth, speed kills and speed is dangerous. Teens should therefore be instructed to maintain the proper speed when operating a motor vehicle. They should also be instructed on how to handle peer pressure and how to make the right choices and exercise good judgment. Another major concern with regard to teenage driving is that of scanning the road properly. Teenage drivers must learn to scan the area ahead of the vehicle and to the side of a vehicle to ensure that an accident does not occur.

Driver Safety Courses

Finally, teen drivers may not have the experience and skill level necessary to handle a potential impact. This simply means that when a teen encounters an obstacle or another vehicle they may become startled and not know what to do. In many cases a teenage driver may actually swerve dramatically to avoid an impact and cause another type of accident. Provide your teenage driver with the opportunity to take multiple driver safety courses and take the time to talk with them with regard to the issues discussed here. Contact Hastings and Hastings today for Phoenix personal injury legal representation.