In the Driver’s Seat: Parents Are the Key to Teen Driving Success

Talk to Teens About the Importance of Driving Safety During National Teen Driver Safety Week

This week, October 16-22 is National Teen Driver Safety Week — the perfect opportunity to talk with teens about safe driving habits. This year, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is teaming up with Keenesburg Police Department to empower parents to discuss safe driving habits with their young drivers.  Assure your teen driver knows the Rules of the Road before you hand over the keys. Ultimately, parents are in control.

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for teens (15-18 years old) in the United States. There were 2,276 people killed in crashes involving a teen passenger vehicle driver (15-18 years old) in 2020; 748 of the deaths were the teen driver. In 2020, an estimated 90,564 teen passenger vehicle drivers were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes and an estimated 153,566 people were injured in crashes involving a teen driver, accounting for almost 7% of all roadway injuries that year.

“Parents play a critical role in teen driver safety and in communicating important driving safety information,” said Police Chief Jim Jensen. “New teen drivers are still gaining experience behind the wheel, which increases the chance of dangerous situations for the teen and other roadway users around them,” he said. “This is why it’s so important for parents to have these discussions with their teens. Start the conversation today and continue it every day. NHTSA offers parents and caregivers helpful tips and a framework for having discussions with  teen drivers about risky driving behaviors that can lead to fatal consequences.”

It’s a parent’s responsibility to help teen drivers make smart choices to stay safe on the road. NHTSA gives parents and guardians tips on how to talk about safer driving. These tips include discussions on how to influence positive behaviors and how to approach dangerous and deadly driving behaviors such as alcohol and other drug use, lack of seat belt use, distracted driving, speeding, or driving with passengers.