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Tips for Keeping Your Teen Driver Safe

Having a teen driver is often a scary time for parents, and with good cause. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, the number of teens killed in traffic accidents grew 10% in 2015.

The National Highway Safety Administration offers five tips to discuss with your young driver to help keep them safe.

  • No drinking and driving: It is not only illegal, but it could also be deadly. 23% of 15- to 19-year-olds involved in fatal crashes had been drinking alcohol.
  • Buckle Up: Seat belts save lives. In 2014, 53% of 15- to 19-year-olds that were killed in automobile crashes, died as a result of not buckling up.
  • No more distractions: Texting and social media can wait. 15- to19-year-olds have the greatest percent of deadly crashes because of distractions caused by a cellphone.
  • Slow Down: Although your young driver may feel invincible, they are not. Driving too fast coupled with inexperienced teen drivers’ tendency to misjudge a curve or bump in the road results in thousands of fatal accidents every year.
  • Just Me, Myself, and I: Only one passenger needs to be in a car with your young driver. Their risk of a fatal crash increases with each additional passenger.

Not only should parents discuss these tips with teen drivers, you should practice what you preach. Model the behavior you want them to have behind the wheel. Parents can do a lot to help prevent their teen drivers from becoming an accident statistic.