Twice a year, law enforcement agencies across the country ramp up their efforts to stop drunk drivers. These “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaigns take place from mid-September through Labor Day and from mid-December through January 1. During these times, there’s a heightened police presence patrolling the roads searching for drivers who are impaired.
If you’re the parent of a teenage driver, these campaigns are good reminders to have serious talks with your child about the dangers and consequences of drinking and driving. But you don’t have to wait until the holidays. Any time is the right time to help your teenager learn to be a safe driver.
Teenage Drivers Have a Higher Risk of Getting Into Accidents
The #1 cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. is being involved in motor vehicle crashes. Many of these accidents could have been prevented. Often, drunk driving was the reason why these crashes occurred.
Consider these facts:
Teenagers 16-19 years old have a higher risk of being in a motor vehicle crash than any other age group. Their risk of being in a fatal crash is almost three times higher than people who are older.
The risk is especially high for teens who have only recently received their driver’s licenses. Sixteen-year-olds have a crash rate, per mile driven, that is 1.5 times higher than 18-19-year-olds.
Overall, for drivers of all ages, drunk driving is involved in about one-third of all fatal crashes.
Alcohol Is a Major Cause of Fatal Accidents for Teenage and Young-Adult Drivers
Teens and young adults have a higher chance of getting into accidents on the road. If they’ve been drinking, then the danger is even worse.
Almost 30% of drivers aged 15-20 who were killed in motor vehicle accidents had been drinking.
17% of the drivers in that age range who were killed had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher.
Teenagers have a much higher risk than adults of getting into a crash if they’ve been drinking. That holds true even when comparing teens and adults who have the same BAC. And teens have an elevated risk even if their BAC is below the level that is the legal limit for adults.
Young adults are also at high risk. Drivers aged 21-34 accounted for 26% of all fatalities caused by alcohol impairment during a recent holiday season.
How You Can Help Keep Your Young Drivers Safe
Teenagers need your guidance to make the right decisions to avoid preventable accidents. Help them keep themselves and other people safe:
Talk to them about the risks of drunk driving and the severe consequences, including the risk to themselves and their passengers, the legal penalties, and the guilt they’ll have to live with if they hurt or kill a pedestrian or someone in another vehicle.
Be a good role model by not getting behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking and by not glamorizing or making light of drinking.
Stress that they should never get in a car with someone else when the driver has been drinking.
Help them handle peer pressure by discussing ways they can handle different situations where teenage drinking is involved.
Let them know they can call you for a ride home.
Have them enroll in a high-quality driver’s ed course where they can learn safe driving behaviors from the outset.
Driver's Ed Teaches Teens to Be Safe and Responsible Drivers
The driver's ed course offered at DriversEd.com helps new drivers become responsible from the outset. We teach the safety skills needed to prevent accidents and help teens establish life-long good driving habits. Complete a driver’s ed program conveniently online today.