® © 2013 National Safety Council Safe Teen Driving Inexperience Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, under contract number M

© 2013 National Safety Council 2 New Teen Driver Risks When teens first earn their license –New sense of freedom –Very exciting time –Very dangerous time –30 times more likely to be in a crash after transition from supervised driving to unsupervised driving. –Only way to learn how to drive is to actually drive

© 2013 National Safety Council 3 Inexperience Leads to Mistakes Contributing factors include: Driver Error –Accounts for majority of crashes –In the first year following licensure, teens have the highest risk of crash per mile driven –Teens have problems with roadway scanning, judging gaps and identifying potential hazards

© 2013 National Safety Council 4 Night time Driving –40% of fatal crashes happen at night –Most before midnight –It is more challenging to drive in the dark and teens are inexperienced –Make sure your teen is fully rested before driving –Set a limit to not drive after 9pm without an adult driver in the vehicle

© 2013 National Safety Council 5 Young Passengers –For 16 & 17 year olds the risk of fatal crash increases 44% with one young passenger in the vehicle –This risk doubles with two young passengers and –Risk quadruples with three or more young passengers –NSC recommends no teen passengers –Many states ban teen passengers during restricted license period

© 2013 National Safety Council 6 Speeding –More than one third of all young male driver fatalities involve speeding. –Many crashes occur because the driver was driving too fast for the situation –Remind young drivers to follow speed limits, and adjust speed for weather and traffic conditions

© 2013 National Safety Council 7 Impaired Driving –Nearly one-fifth of 16 & 17 year olds killed in crashes had been drinking –One drink can impair a driver’s abilities –It is illegal under age 21 –Remind young drivers to never drink and drive!

© 2013 National Safety Council 8 Seat Belts –More than half of young drivers killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts. –Using a seat belt can reduce the risk of death or serious injuries in a crash by approximately 50% –Require young drivers to buckle up on every trip, no matter the distance –The simplest way to prevent car crash deaths is to buckle up!

© 2013 National Safety Council 9 Distracted Driving Cell Phone Use –4 times more likely to be in a crash –It doesn’t matter if hand-held or hands- free. Both are a crash risk! Texting –Most teen drivers admit to texting while driving –Texting while driving increases risk of a crash by at least 8 times.

© 2013 National Safety Council 10 What Parents Can Do –Supervise your teen driving on a variety of roads at different times of day and in varied weather and traffic conditions, even after they have earned their license. –Complete a parent-teen driver agreement with your teen. One can be found at: /Parent_Teen_Driving_Agreement-a.pdf /Parent_Teen_Driving_Agreement-a.pdf

© 2013 National Safety Council 11 Be a Good Role Model Parents and caregivers should practice these suggestions as well This will reinforce the importance of these messages with your teen Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, under contract number M

© 2013 National Safety Council 12 Who is NSC? Our Mission: The National Safety Council saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads through leadership, research, education and advocacy.