September 2010

Teens Behind the Wheel

Start Early, Be Prepared

By Cheryl Wieker

Fourteen-year-old Annie plopped herself in the minivan after Saturday morning's soccer game. Expecting to hear about the game, her mother received a real wake-up call from the topic of the conversation. "Mom, did you know it's only two years until I get my first car?"

It feels like one of those freeze-frame moments. You wish everything could stay the same (okay--definitely better grades and a few more "pleases" and "thank yous" but basically you like things the way they are). With your child's expressed interest in owning her own car, there's a flashing red light flickering in your mind: WARNING: NOVICE DRIVER APPROACHING.

For most suburban youth today, getting a driver's license continues to be a major rite of passage. For parents, it can be a time of worry and stress. But with preparation, there are many ways you can help your child make this transition safely.

Danger Ahead

Auto accidents are the largest cause of death and serious injury for teens. Four thousand teens died in vehicle accidents in 2008; in 2007, almost 400,000 were treated in emergency rooms. Teen drivers have significantly more crashes per mile driven than older drivers, largely due to inexperience. Another cause of accidents is developmental--the part of the brain that controls judgment and impulsive behavior does not finish maturing until about age 25. Development of the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for making decisions, such as showing off, handling peer pressure, following rules and regulating emotions) isn't completed for most youth until nine years after they take their first driving lesson.

Two recent studies published in The Journal of Pediatrics in September 2009 showed that parents who set firm rules in a helpful and supportive way reduced the likelihood of their teens getting into an auto accident by half. "Parent involvement matters, and active parenting can save teenagers' lives," says Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, an adolescent medicine specialist at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who conducted the studies.

Start Early

Most kids make their first serious, "When I start driving," comments in their early teens. Don't let these early comments go by. Your informed and encouraging response will signal to your child that your family is going to take a serious and careful approach to teen driving. Spend a couple of hours on the Internet looking at current teen driving laws and recommendations from the motor vehicle office, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Download the various teen driving agreements to guide your family as you make important decisions together, such as driving lessons, financial responsibilities (who pays for gas and insurance?) and riding as a passenger with other teen drivers.

Find out about new ways to guide your teen driver when she drives unsupervised. Monitoring devices help teens get off to a good start by recording seat belt usage, speed, sudden braking and acceleration, and swerving. Talk about these helpful devices early rather than shocking your 16-year-old with the news after she receives what she perceives as her "ticket to freedom." Talking about rules in a friendly, informed and supportive way will avoid dangerous power struggles over driving.
Here are a few hints on how to respond to your 14-year-old daughter who has already picked out her first dream car:

Set a Good Example

Families can work together to set good driving examples and make both the teaching and learning experiences positive ones. Implement proven ways to keep teens safe as they begin this challenging task. Using written teen driving agreements, informing yourself about both the laws and teen driving resources and having a firm and supportive parenting approach will get you off to an early and good start.

Helpful Information

Search "teen driving" on these websites:

Cheryl Wieker is the instructor for the "Planning for Safe Teen Driving" workshop for parents and teens offered since 1994 by the Parent Encouragement Program (PEP).