Keeping Teens Alive on the Road

"Teen Killed in Car Accident"

The headline keeps appearing week after week, and each time, it’s equally shocking. The mundane details of each accident  – where the teen had been coming from or where she was heading to – just seem to make each death more personal – and real – to every parent. But each accident just confirms the statistics: Car crashes are the leading cause of death for tweens and teens.

So when my 15-year-old son told me he has no desire to get his driver’s license, I felt a surge of relief. But guilt swiftly followed. Was this my doing? Had my endless monologue about bad versus good drivers on the road as I drove him to his activities finally taken its toll? I remember that I couldn’t wait to get my driver’s license. Why wasn’t he just as eager?

I was surprised to discover that he’s not unique. Nationwide, only 29.8 percent of 16-year-olds held driver’s licenses in 2006, compared with 43.8 percent in 1998, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The reasons for the drop vary, including tighter state laws governing when teens can drive, higher insurance costs and a shift from school-run driver education to expensive private driving academies, according to an article in The New York Times. And yes, parents do figure into the equation. Parents who are willing to chauffeur their children to activities also helps explain the falling rate of licensed 16-year-old drivers, as does the popularity of indoors hobbies, like surfing the Web, according to the experts interviewed for the article.

Yes, now I remember my son’s reply when I badgered him to sign up now for driver’s ed: “Why would I want to get a license when you can drive me?” he said, smiling wickedly.

Well, better I drive him than some teen who has just gotten his license, I thought wearily. Riding unbuckled with new teen drivers on high-speed roads were the three greatest risks contributing to car crash deaths for passengers ages 8 to 17, according to a new study funded by State Farm Insurance and conducted by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. While young drivers have higher chances of dying, the study looked at the nearly 10,000 children passengers who were killed in car crashes between 2000 and 2005, The Associated Press reported. Other dangerous circumstances for young passengers included drivers who’d been drinking alcohol, male teen drivers and driving on weekends.

The study’s lead author offers parents this lifesaving advice: Don't let your teen ride with a teen driver who has less than a year's experience driving. Insist on seat belts. And practice ways teens can resist peer pressure to ride with other teens.

My son has promised to sign up for driver’s ed this summer when his school is out. He can expect my  monologue on good driving habits to continue on through the summer with even more information.