Even if your teenager is running late, it’s important that they drive safely. Speeding can be tempting for inexperienced drivers–especially when in a rush. However, it is not worth the risk of getting in an accident. Recognizing the many ways to prevent accidents from happening can lead to safer teen drivers and safer roads.
Teenage Driving Statistics
British Columbia had 260,000 automobile crashes in 2021, according to ICBC. Speeding remains a leading cause of auto accidents and many people are seriously injured in these crashes every year–including teenage drivers. Male drivers between the ages of 16 and 21 are three times more likely to get in a car crash due to speeding than female drivers. Though statistics are always changing, it’s clear that speeding continues to be a problem among teenagers.
5 Teen Driving Safety Tips
Teenage speeding statistics show that many teenagers struggle to follow teen driving safety tips. The following tips could lessen the number of automobile crashes and even save lives.
1. Put Down the Phone
Texting while driving has surpassed drinking and driving as the leading cause of fatal accidents among teen drivers in Canada. More than 3,000 teens die each year in crashes caused by texting and driving. There’s no safe way to use your phone while driving. As a teen driver, your child should always be paying attention to their surroundings. It’s unsafe to look at their phone at a stop sign or even a traffic light.
2. Buckle Up
Many people are killed in motor vehicle accidents because they were not wearing a seat belt. In fact, wearing a seat belt reduces by half the risk of being killed or seriously injured in an accident. Your teenage driver may feel that a seat belt is too restrictive and decide not to wear it. As a parent, you should instill in them the safety benefits of wearing a seat belt as well as the financial and legal penalties if they’re caught without one.
3. Be Defensive
Even if you trust your teen to obey teen driving safety tips, you can’t place that same trust in other motorists. Fellow drivers may drive recklessly, react aggressively, or be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Teach your child to spot these drivers by frequently checking mirrors and scanning surroundings. Ensure that they maintain a safe stopping distance behind other cars. Helping them understand that they can’t depend on other motorists to drive safely may help them become a safer driver. Preparing your teen for worst-case scenarios will help them better respond to these situations.
4. Obey Speed Limits
Speed limits are there for a reason. Driving too fast gives your teenager less time to react to changing conditions on the road. Posted speed limits also apply to ideal road conditions. In imperfect circumstances, your teen will have to be even more cautious. Your teenager may be tempted to throw caution to the wind once they have the freedom to drive. They may face pressure from their friends to race or to drive at excessive speeds. It’s vital that you reinforce the dangers of speeding and have them follow automobile safety tips.
5. Be a Good Role Model
All the teaching in the world means nothing if you aren’t reinforcing your lessons with your own actions. If you tell your child to obey traffic laws and drive safely, but then you flout the rules and drive recklessly, your teen will see through your hypocrisy. Don’t preach or tell–show what is right. If you act like the driver you want your child to become, those behaviors may lead to a solid, safe future for your teen driver on the road.