1. Safe Teen Driving
Presenters are encouraged to utilize the 5-minute safety talk to support this presentation, and to provide attendees with the corresponding fact sheet and parent checklist that accompanies this presentation. These resources are entitled “Safe Teen Driving: Inexperience”.
©National Safety Council 2010

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
Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens. In a single year, thousands of teens will die in car crashes, mostly due to inexperience.
©National Safety Council 2010

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
Ride with your teen and supervise driving. Continue to ride with your teen often even after they have earned their license.
Practice in a variety of weather and traffic conditions.
©National Safety Council 2010

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
Know your state’s teen driving laws.
Remind your teen to maintain safe distances behind other vehicles, and always scan for the location of other vehicles around them.
©National Safety Council 2010

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
Oregon bans teen passengers during restricted license period
Don’t allow any activities that take your teen’s attention away from driving.
This includes, but is not limited to, conversations, searching the internet on a phone, eating, adjusting the radio, or grooming.
©National Safety Council 2010

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
When adjusting for weather and traffic conditions, make sure your teen knows that sometimes the safe speed might be lower than the posted speed limit.
©National Safety Council 2010

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!
Be a good role model. Practice these suggestions as well. This will reinforce the importance of these messages with your teen!
©National Safety Council 2010

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%
Buckle up on every trip, no matter the distance
The simplest way to prevent car crash deaths is to buckle up!
Emphasize that the simplest way to prevent car crash deaths is to buckle up! Everyone in a vehicle should buckle up for every trip, no matter how long or short the distance traveled. The slide is focused on the teen driver, but it is just as important for all passengers to buckle up as well, in vehicles with drivers of all ages.
©National Safety Council 2010

9. Distracted Driving Cell Phone Use Texting
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.
Again, don’t allow any activities that take your teen’s attention away from driving.
If asked why hands-free is just as dangerous, the answer is “cognitive distraction”. For a practice activity, ask attendees to try and carry on a conversation with someone while they watch television. Can they focus on both well at the same time? The same is true for talking on the phone and driving. Full attention should be focused on driving.
©National Safety Council 2010

10. Oregon Law
After you get your provisional driver license, your driving is restricted as follows:
Until 18 Years of Age: You cannot operate a motor vehicle while using a mobile communication device, including talking on a cell phone and texting. Hands-free accessories are not allowed. Once you turn 18, different restrictions may apply.
©National Safety Council 2010

11. FIRST 6 MONTHS
You can not drive with a passenger under age 20 who is not a member of your immediate family*; and
You can not drive between midnight and 5:00 AM unless you are:
Driving between home and work
Driving between home and a school event for which there is no other transportation available
Driving for employment purposes; or
Accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 25 years old.
©National Safety Council 2010

12. SECOND 6 MONTHS
You can not drive with more than three (3) passengers who are under age 20 who are not members of your immediate family*; and
You can not drive between midnight and 5:00 AM unless you are:
Driving between home and work
Driving between home and a school event for which there is no other transportation available
Driving for employment purposes; or
Accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 25 years old.
©National Safety Council 2010

13. 10 TIPS 1) Develop the right attitude about driving
2) Get as much supervised practice driving as possible
3) ALWAYS wear your safety belt
4) Underage drinking is illegal--drug use is ALWAYS illegal
5) Limit your passengers
6) Limit your night driving
7) Keep it slow and safe for starters
8) Train for poor weather conditions
9) Cell phones are for emergency use only
10) Drive a safe vehicle
©National Safety Council 2010

14. CONSEQUENCES license suspension or revocation fines community service
jail time
possible detention

15. probation may include:
restricted use of car
limited access to certain places or people
mandatory submission to searches
mandatory permission to travel
a curfew

16. Let’s review: Q: What is the number one killer of young people age 13-19?

17. A: It’s not drugs and it’s not violence
A: It’s not drugs and it’s not violence. The number one killer is auto crashes

18. Q: Do teens use their safety belts?

19. A: Less than 50% of teenagers wear their safety belts.

20. Q: What are the greatest risks for young drivers?

21. A: Two major risks for new drivers are:
1) having multiple passengers in the car--the more passengers, the greater the risk
2) driving at night--the risk of a fatal crash is three times higher at night, for every mile driven

22. Q: What’s one of the best things a young driver can do to stay safe?

23. A: Slow down--besides limiting passengers and night time driving, teenagers need to slow down
over 1/3 of teenagers who died in car crashes last year died in a speed-related crash

24. one last tip: cell phones--respect them
the most common distraction for teenagers while driving is probably cell phones
pull over to the side of the road or into a parking lot when using your phone

26. Let’s Begin

27. Question 1
Which roads are most dangerous for drivers?
Urban
Suburban
Rural

28. Answer 1 Rural

29. January February March April May July August June September October
Question 2
What month has the highest number of crash deaths?
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

30. Answer 2 August

31. Question 3 What day of the week has the highest number of crash deaths?
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday

32. Answer 3 Saturday

33. What day of the year has the most crash deaths?
Question 4
What day of the year has the most crash deaths?
New Year’s Eve
Memorial Day
4th of July
Labor Day
Christmas Eve

34. Answer 4 4th of July

35. What is the peak time during which most driving fatalities take place?
Question 5
What is the peak time during which most driving fatalities take place?
12 midnight to 2 a.m.
5 to 7 p.m.
7 to 9 p.m.
9 to 11 p.m.

36. Answer 5 5 to 7 p.m.

37. Question 6
Which group has a higher crash risk?
Uninsured motorists
Elderly drivers
Teenagers

38. Answer 6 Teenagers

39. What is the #1 cause of death among teenagers?
Question 7
What is the #1 cause of death among teenagers?
Drug use
Congenital health problems
Vehicle crashes

40. Answer 7 Vehicle Crashes

41. How many teenagers are involved in vehicle crashes each year?
Question 8
How many teenagers are involved in vehicle crashes each year?
80,000
800,000
1 million
1.6 million
3 million

42. Answer million

43. Question 9
Among teenage drivers, what age group has the highest rate of teenage passenger death (per licensed driver and per mile driven)?
19-year-olds
18-year-olds
17-year-olds
16-year-olds
15-year-olds

44. Answer 9 16-year-olds

45. What is the leading cause of teenage car crashes?
Question 10
What is the leading cause of teenage car crashes?
Driving small or older cars
Driving SUVs
Driving at night
Driving over the speed limit
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Little driving experience

46. Answer 10
Little driving experience & driving over the speed limit

47. Question 11
What is the legal driving Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level for teenagers?
0.02
0.06
0.08

48. Answer 11 There is no legal BAC level for teenagers
Answer 11 There is no legal BAC level for teenagers. Any use of alcohol or drugs is illegal.

49. Summary Good driving takes skill!
You need to practice, lose the ego and give it time.
Remember it is a privilege not a right!

50. Answer 11 There is no legal BAC level for teenagers
Answer 11 There is no legal BAC level for teenagers. Any use of alcohol or drugs is illegal.