Car crashes lead teen death rate

October 9, 2009 • written by Ashley Fowler  
Filed under News

Driving fast, living on the edge, and breaking rules of the road are habits that most teenagers would consider ‘cool.’ However, a recent study conducted by the Children’s Research Hospital of Philadelphia proved that nothing is cool about teens living their lives in the fast lane.

According to the study, car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. Researchers believe those teens that own cars are more likely to be in a wreck versus teens that are only allowed to drive the family car with permission. 1 out of 4 drivers who have primary access to a car have had an accident in the past year, while only 1 out of 10 drivers with shared access have had an accident.

This study surveyed 2,167 teenagers between the ages of 14-17 and was the first to evaluate whether having primary access to a car affects teen safety.

Researchers feel that some parents mistake giving their teen a car at the age of 16 or 17 for a way to help them learn how to be responsible. However, this responsibility is one that can become fatal.

“Families need to know that driving is different from other steps toward independence,” Dr. Flaura Koplin Winston, the study’s lead author said. “As soon as their teen begins pulling away, parents need to get back involved to spare them heartache.”

In Winston’s opinion, the sense of freedom that comes along with owning a car is the initial problem, because teens become less cautious when they own their own cars.

“When I got my first car at the age of 16, I immediately felt more independent,” senior Paige Dood said. “The benefit of having my own car is that I can do what I want, when I want, and how I want it done.”

So how can parents make sure that their teen driver does not become a grim statistic?

“Just like drugs, parents should begin to talk to their children about driving at a fairly young age,” psychology teacher Ouida Shephard said. “As a child, teenagers spent countless hours in the car with mom and/or dad. During these hours I am sure that they ran across good drivers and bad drivers. Parents should use moments like these to thoroughly explain what the drivers are doing wrong, as well as what they are doing right.”

According to researchers, parents who must allow their kids drive to work and school because they have other obligations can still play a role in lowering crash rates by having more control of the keys.

“Parents should not be afraid to set strict rules for safe driving behaviors and take the keys away if they aren’t followed,” Dr. Jeffrey Weiss, co-writer of an American Academy of Pediatrics report on teen drivers, said. “In fact, making your teenager say ‘Mom, can I have the keys?’ might be one of the best ways to keep your child safe.”

Whatever the case, parents have many alternatives to choose from to help lower the teen crash rate.

“As a last resort, parents could try to scare their kids into doing the right thing while they are on the road by telling them a story about someone who died or was brutally injured in a car crash,” Shephard said. “If nothing else works, that definitely will.”