Teen Driving Safety: How to Avoid a Car Accident

If you’re anything like most parents, the idea of your teen driving a car is nerve-wracking. After all, you’ve spent the better part of two decades protecting your kid from all kinds of dangers…and now it’s time to hand them the keys to a metal box capable of speeding down the highway at 80 miles per hour. Terrifying!

As parents ourselves, the attorneys at Casper & Casper want to help, so we’re offering some tips on how to avoid a car accident.

Before you let your teen get behind the wheel, here’s what you should know about teen driving safety.

Why Are Teens So Prone to Car Accidents?

Your teen sees their new driver’s license as a sign of freedom and fun. What they don’t always see are the risks involved in driving. (In fact, statistically speaking, driving a car is one of the riskiest activities anyone can do.)

Teen drivers have a higher rate of fatal crashes than older adults for two main reasons.

First, their lack of driving experience causes them to make more mistakes. They simply haven’t been driving long enough to really hone their driving skills. They also don’t have much practice doing things like merging onto the highway, using a roundabout, or driving in inclement weather like rain or snow.

Second, they are more prone to risk-taking. (In fact, this age group takes more risks than children younger than them or adults.) The jury is still out on why teens engage in riskier behavior. It could be because they aren’t as good at evaluating risk or because they are more easily influenced by their peers. Either way, this means that teens more often engage in risky or dangerous driving behaviors.

How to Help Your Teen Avoid a Car Accident

To help your teen become a safe, capable driver, we recommend a few things.

#1 Be a good role model.

You have more of an influence on your teen’s driving behavior than you think. After all, you are the first person your child sees driving. Practice safe driving yourself: always buckle up, put down your phone, and follow the rules of the road.

#2 Talk to your teen about especially risky driving behaviors.

Make sure to talk to your teen about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Remind them that it’s illegal for them to have a BAC above .00—not .08, which is the limit for adults over 21. Also discuss distracted driving: talk about the dangers of texting, surfing the Internet, and even talking on the phone while behind the wheel.

#3 Don’t rely on driver’s education alone.

Driver’s ed classes are just one piece of learning how to drive. It’s also important to practice with your teen. Consider the 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice for licensure to be the baseline, not the goal. Practice with your teen as much as possible, in all different types of situations, to help them build up their driving skills.

#4 Learn and enforce Ohio’s GDL laws.

Ohio has graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws designed to help teens learn to drive while reducing the risk of accidents.

In Ohio, new teen drivers have the following restrictions:

• Teen drivers may not drive between midnight and 6 a.m. unless:
  • Accompanied by a parent/guardian
  • Driving to or from work (documentation from the employer required)
  • Driving to or from a school or religious event (documentation from the event required)
• Teens may not drive with more than one non-family member as a passenger, unless they are also accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• The driver and all passengers must wear seat belts.
• The driver may not use any cell phones.
• If the teen is convicted of a traffic offense within the first six month of having their license, the teen’s parent/guardian may be required to accompany them until they reach the age of 17.

After the first year of driving, teen restrictions ease slightly (though they’re still required to wear seat belts and prohibited from using cell phones):

• Teens may not operate a vehicle between 1 and 5 a.m. unless:
  • Driving with a parent or guardian
  • Driving to or from work (documentation from the employer required)
  • Driving to or from a school or religious event (documentation from the event required)
• If the teen is convicted of multiple traffic offenses before their 18th birthday, their license may be suspended.

Be prepared to enforce these restrictions. They’re important!

For example, take the restriction on non-family passengers: one study using a driving simulation found that teen drivers behave similarly to adults when by themselves. When with two of their peers, however, the same teens were more risky in their driving.

The restriction on cell phones, too, is based in science. Drivers who text are 23 times more likely to get in a car accident!

Casper & Casper Is Here to Help

We hope these tips on how to avoid a car accident are helpful for you and your teen! Our hope is that your family never has to deal with a car accident or injuries.