Attorney Chris DiBella Discusses Teen Driving Safety

I want to talk about a topic today that hits pretty close to home for me, and that’s teen driving. My daughter recently started driving a year ago, and my son is about to get his permit next week, so it’s a pretty scary thing.

According to research by the CDC, a total of teens between the ages of 16 and 19 lose their lives in motor vehicle crashes every day. We’re entering the summer months, which is also known as the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” for teen drivers.

Here at DiBella Law Offices, we’ve certainly seen our share of car crashes involving teens, some of which the teens were not the negligent party and others where they were. But what I’d really like to focus on today is what safety precautions and rules of the road that teens can adhere to in order to greatly reduce the odds that they’ll be involved in a motor vehicle accident—especially during that “100 Deadliest Days.”

What are the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer”? It refers to a time period that’s between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and that’s where a majority of teens are out on summer break, and car accident statistics involving teens spike. Research shows that accident rates among teen drivers increase by 26 percent during this time period.

We were all teen drivers at one point in our lives, and as teen drivers, we certainly didn’t have the experience and instincts that we do now as adults. It’s even more difficult today to be a teen driver starting off than it was when we were younger because the temptations the children have didn’t exist when we were younger—such as using a cell phone, texting, or even using your navigation.

This brings me to my first reason that teens tend to be involved in higher rates of car accidents, and the first is maybe the most obvious—and that’s distracted driving. The highway safety advocacy group We Save Lives found that 60% of all accidents involving teen drivers are caused by distracted driving. And it’s not just the use of electronic devices, but it’s also due to eating and drinking, among other things.

As a new driver who doesn’t have the same level of experience that somebody who’s been driving for five or ten years, teens can be easily distracted by other passengers and friends that may be in their vehicle.

In addition to distracted driving, teen drivers’ overall inexperience makes them more prone to making poorer and unsafe choices behind the wheel. Their reaction times tend to be slower when compared to that of a more experienced adult driver. Overall, teens’ lack of experience behind the wheel directly results in just about all-around bad driving habits such as speeding, drifting between lanes, not using blinkers when they should be, not wearing a seatbelt, or driving when they’re exhausted—among many other things as well.

Lastly, unfortunately, underage drinking is not uncommon among teens. There are times when teens who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs choose to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while they’re impaired. And in the state of Massachusetts, drivers under the age of 21 face enhanced and much more severe penalties driving at that age.

So, what can we do as a teen driver or even as the parent of a teen driver to help our teen stay safe?

First is, let’s keep down the distractions—keep them to a minimum. Try not to eat or drink or do the things that cause you to lose focus while you’re driving. I know it’s hard, but turn that phone off so you’re not tempted to use the phone while you’re driving or respond to an incoming text message or an incoming call.

It’s always good practice also to turn on your headlights even when the sun’s out. I know it may sound like an odd choice, but it makes your car more visible to other vehicles when you’re driving.

Avoid speeding. That is the major contributing factor in teen accidents.

And finally, it is important to drive for a long period of time—as long as you can as a teen driver—without other teens in the vehicle. Teenage passengers tend to be more distracting and take more attention away from drivers while they’re operating a motor vehicle. More time without teen passengers allows teen drivers the right amount of time to build up good habits and instincts so that they don’t put their life or their friends’ lives in danger.

I hope that everyone listening has a safe summer. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. For more information like what you’ve heard today, please feel free to visit us at our website at www.dibellalawoffice.com