Raise a safe driver
Two new studies reveal that teen crashes and risky driving behaviors such as cellphone use, failure to wear seat belts, and drinking and driving are strongly linked with the way teens and parents communicate and approach rules about safety.
The studies are based on the nationally-representative National Young Driver Survey of more than 5,500 teenagers. The first study shows that teens who said their parents set clear rules, paid attention to where they were going and whom they were with, and did so in a supportive way were:
- Half as likely to crash
- Twice as likely to wear seat belts
- 71% less likely to drive while intoxicated
- 30% less likely to use a cellphone while driving
These findings are compared to teens who said their parents were less involved.
A second study found that teens who reported being the main driver of a vehicle were twice as likely to be involved in a crash, compared with teens who said they shared a vehicle with other family members. Nearly 75% of the teens surveyed reported being the main driver of a car. “Once they're behind the wheel, teens have ultimate responsibility for their behavior,” says Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, co-author of the study. “But kids who said their parents set rules in a supportive way were half as likely to crash compared with teens who saw their parents as less involved.”
According to the researchers, there are specific things parents can do to keep teens safer around driving, including setting clear rules about driving, talking with kids about where they’re going and who they’re with, and making sure teens know the rules are in place because you care about them and their safety – not because you wish to control them. This approach may make it more likely teens will tell their parents what is going on in their lives, and this, in turn, helps parents better follow through on the rules they set with their kids.
Approximately half of the teens surveyed reported that their parents consistently set rules, paid attention to where they were going and who they would be with in a way that was supportive. “Our data show that one of the safest decisions families can make is for parents to control access to the keys for at least the first six to 12 months after a teen gets his license,” says Flaura Koplin Winston, MD, PhD, study co-author and scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Our data show an alarming trend – almost three-quarters of teens say they have easy access to a car. Compared to teens who have to share a car, these teens are twice as likely to crash and more likely to speed and to use a cellphone while driving. When teens have to ask for the keys before taking the car, it naturally creates the opportunity for parents to have conversations with their teens about where they are going, who they will be with, and to review the house rules about driving with passengers, wearing seat belts, using cell phones, and which routes are safe.”
The results of the studies, carried out by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the insurer State Farm® are published in the journal
Pediatrics.