When I see accidents like this one, I never want my two girls driving. The driver of the red car (a teenager) was texting and never saw the motorcycle. (You can learn more about this accident below.)
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in 15-17 year olds. Teen behaviors which contribute to teen-related crashes, include inexperience and immaturity combined with speed, drinking and driving, not wearing seat belts, distracted driving (cell phone use, loud music, other teen passengers, etc.), drowsy driving, nighttime driving, and drug use.TEEN DRIVER STATISTICS:
- 16 year olds have a higher crash rate and and are more likely to die in an MVC.
- In 2006, 3,490 teens ages 15-20 died in crashes.
- Between the years 1995 and 2004, 15, 16 and 17 year old drivers had crashes that claimed the lives of 30,917.
- In 2005, of 1,000 15 to 17 year olds surveyed, more than 50% said they use cell phones while driving, 69% speed, 64% speed to go through a yellow light, 68% played with radio/CD player while driving, 49% eat and drink while driving, 47% said passengers distracted them, and 50% believe most crashes are caused by alcohol.
In March 2011, TeenDriver.com, a new service that gives parents the tools they need to raise safe drivers, was introduced. TeenDriver.com is different from existing GPS tracking devices and cameras that track a teen driver’s every move. Instead, this new service aims to improve teen driver safety through community feedback and ongoing dialogue, encouraging conversations between parents and their teenage drivers.“In my neighborhood we’ve had teen drivers who consistently drove too fast. One was a neighbor’s boyfriend and so talking to the parents was easy. Another was not easy. Asking him to slow down didn’t help, but getting in touch with the parents made a difference,” said Juan Aguilar, co-founder of TeenDriver. “Our service aims to improve teen driver safety through community feedback and provides a middle ground for citizens to report dangerous driving behavior.”Parents of teen drivers can subscribe to TeenDriver.com for a low yearly fee to receive confidential reports about their teen driver as well as tips and information on raising safe drivers. Membership includes a license plate cover and car magnet with a phone number and website that members of the community can use to report dangerous driving behavior. The company is also publishing safe driving guides for teens and parents.
TeenDriver.com was founded to help reduce the statistics listed above and keep the roads safe for new teen drivers.
For parents interested in the TeenDriver.com, a special discount for the service is being offered to my readers – just use Promo Code ZIGGY05 for a 35% discount. Even without the promotion code, this is an affordable program.
(The Honda crotch rocket rider was traveling at approximately 85 mph. The VW driver was talking on a cell phone when she pulled out from a side street, apparently not seeing the motorcycle. The rider's reaction time was not sufficient enough to avoid this accident.
The car had two passengers and the bike rider was found INSIDE the car with them. The Volkswagen actually flipped over from the force of impact and landed 20 feet from where the collision took place.
All three involved (two in the car and the bike rider) were killed instantly. This graphic demonstration was placed at the Motorcycle Fair by the Police and Road Safety Department.)
13 comments:
Stuff like this just scares me to death. I PREACH to my kids all the time about the importance of defensive driving and following the rules of the road. My husband was a tow truck driver for years and I think it deeply affected us both (and the kids). He would see and then talk about the horrible accidents and how they were caused.
Thank you for bringing up this important topic!
I have a 12 year old and although I know he can't wait to be old enough to drive, I could wait forever!!! The statistics are so scary!!! Thanks for an important topic and an interesting product.
Those statistics are so scary! I try to be a good example of safe driving but sometimes find myself handing things to my baby to pacify her and other things that may possibly distract me from having my full attention to my driving. Thanks for the reminder and great info.
This is so scary. Here in Florida they flirt with the idea of raising the driving age to 18 every few years, and I wish they would. Two years doesn't seem like much, but a little extra maturity and time to practice certainly couldn't hurt. Thanks for sharing this resource.
Visiting from voiceBoks! :)
Amanda
Grandpa's truck is waiting in our driveway for my oldest to start driving lessons. I've been nervous about this. I think I might have him wait until he's 17. He is a very mature teen, but you never know. And our roads here are dangerous.
I recently saw some kind of study that showed a teen's brain is not developed enough to fully comprehend the complicated task of driving. It had to do with reflexes and motor skills. I can say (knock on wood) all the accidents I had that were my fault happened before I turned 18. There were two and one was pretty bad...and both were just me not paying attention. But I never believed the "raise the driving age" argument until I saw that study. I figured it was just all experience and no matter what the driving age, people would have the same couple of years of trying to get used to driving.
Those statistics are scary!
My kids are 6, 5 and 2 and this scares the living crap outa me. I am not looking forward to them driving at all. I did not learn to drive until I was 18 and I think that was the best decision my parents made. I hated it to the time, but looking back they were so smart. I am probably going to be doing the same for my kids.
We have 4 drivers,ages 18-22 - thanks so much for bringing much neeeded attention to this topic.
I constatnly tell the kids - it's not so much YOU I'm worried about - it's all the crazies out on the road. They even agree with me at this point!
Anna, VoiceBoks
http://hotairballoonmom.blogspot.com/
Safe driving is serious business. It is important to teach your kids how to drive with all but safety in their minds. It is especially important at this time, when car accidents are becoming more and more rampant due to the others who neglect to observe traffic laws.
What a great idea! All of my step-daughters made it through their teenaged years, but boy did I worry. Texting really is a big problem on the road. For adults too!
It's so important to remember that even if you are doing everything right, someone else can make a mistake and you'll have to pay for it. Seeing that car with the motorcycle INSIDE it is pretty powerful.
Distracted driving is a serious issue. Improvements of technology have only increased the distractions drivers experience. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines distractions as any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving.
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