Facts About Safe Driving for Young Drivers
Posted on Wed, Jul 06, 2011
For most young drivers, learning to drive and getting a license is a life-changing experience. Suddenly, they do not have to find rides, take buses or ride their bike. But being able to drive also comes with a great deal of responsibility. All of this takes place at a time when young people are experiencing biological changes and greater time demands, leaving little time for proper sleep and other healthy habits. Before getting behind the wheel, there are several critical facts that parents and young drivers should be aware of.
First, alcohol and driving do not mix. Many teens are involved in crashes caused by alcohol even though it is illegal for people under the age of 21 to drink. Also, teens who have car crashes are often repeat offenders when it comes to obeying traffic laws. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 28% of the teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking or had a prior moving violation such as speeding.
Second, fatigue can be as deadly as alcohol. Drowsiness impairs judgment, vision, hand-eye coordination, and reaction times just like alcohol and drugs. One study found that after 17 hours of being awake, a person has the same impairment on performance tests as someone with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05. Waking at 6:00 a.m. to catch a school bus creates the “17 hour danger” by 11:00 p.m. With accumulated sleep debt, similar fatigue can occur in less time.
Combining sleepiness with driver inexperience can be dangerous - more than half of all fall-asleep crashes involve drivers aged 25 years or younger. Biology, academic pressures, extracurricular activities and early school start times conspire to keep teens from their sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2006 Sleep in America poll, more than half of teens report feeling sleepy during the day.
Third, distracted driving is unsafe at any speed. Common factors that increase the risk of car crashes include:
- Distractions – eating, putting on make-up, talking or texting on a cell phone or interacting with passengers can cause a crash
- Recklessness – teens who run stop signs and speed are more likely to crash
- Safety – not wearing a seatbelt increases the risk of dying in a car crash
The privilege of driving comes with certain responsibilities, and safety-conscious parents must do all they can to ensure their young drivers stay safe as they hit the road. That’s why useful tools like this safe driver contract were created specifically for young drivers and their parents. Also, be sure to review Massachusetts License and Permit Violations and Penalties for Junior Operators so that your young driver understands the consequences of unsafe driving.