Talk To Your Teen Drivers

According to the National Safety Council, the way parents communicate rules and monitor teens’ driving could reduce the chances that teens will take part in risky driving behavior and be involved in a crash, according to research conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Younger drivers, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), agree that teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group. Per mile, the crash rate for 16 year-old drivers is 10 times the rate for drivers between 30 and 59. The basic reasons behind this statistic are obvious. Teen drivers have no experience with the myriad issues faced by drivers with experience, furthermore they are immature and often takes risks, most often speeding, which contribute to the increased death rate.

As part of CIRP’s Young Driver Research Initiative, researchers released findings from two studies on September 28, 2009. According to a study abstract, the first study shows teens who had supportive parents who established rules were:

•Half as likely to be involved in a crash

•71 percent less likely to drive while intoxicated

•Less likely to use a cell phone while driving

•More likely to use seat belts

The second study shows teens who reported being the main driver of a vehicle were more likely to get in a crash than teens who shared a vehicle with other family members. Researchers also noted the effectiveness of graduated driver licensing laws in reducing teen crash rates during the first six to 12 months of driving.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Download the research at www.research. chop.edu/programs/youngdriver/docs/NYDSReport2.pdf.