CHOKEPOINTS

Rules every parent should teach during National Teen Driver Safety Week

Oct 21, 2024, 2:18 PM | Updated: 2:19 pm

Photo: National Teen Driver Safety Week gives parents the opportunity to educate their teens on why...

National Teen Driver Safety Week gives parents the opportunity to educate their teens on why its important to not text and drive. (Photo: @MikeSkoropad via Flickr Creative Commons)

(Photo: @MikeSkoropad via Flickr Creative Commons)

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for teens 15 to 18 years old. In 2022, 811 teen drivers died in crashes, and a total of 2,514 teen drivers were involved in crashes where someone died. In 2023, Seattle teens were involved in 60 crashes and in Spokane, that number is 397. Some leading causes include talking or texting, applying makeup and eating or drinking.

October 20-26 is National Teen Driver Safety Week, as explained on the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s website, giving parents the perfect opportunity to educate their children.

National Teen Driver Safety Week: Rules of the road

NTSA laid out a few rules that parents can relay to their teen drivers.

The first is that it’s vital to always buckle up. Half of the passengers killed in cars driven by teen drivers in recent years weren’t buckled up in 2022.

Also, do not drink or do drugs when operating a motor vehicle. It is important to emphasize the fact that it’s illegal to drink before you’re 21 and that driving drunk or high is unacceptable at any age. In 2022, 22% of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking.

Another crucial rule is no distractions. That means no phones or texting while driving and not doing anything else — like eating, drinking or fixing hair and makeup — when you should fully focus on driving. About 10% of all teen drivers involved in fatal crashes in recent years were distracted at the time of the crash. Teens should activate the “do not disturb” feature on their phones to eliminate the distractions notifications cause.

No speeding is also an important rule to keep in mind. Almost one-third of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding in 2022. Parents should emphasize that teens must obey posted speed limits, including construction zones.

Lastly, limit extra passengers. Teen drivers are at a greater risk for a crash when they have others in their car. Passengers can serve as a distraction for inexperienced teen drivers and that’s why many states’ graduated driver licensing (GDL) restrictions prohibit any passengers in vehicles with teen drivers. GDL laws also set other limits on teen drivers for safety.

Don’t just set the rules — set the example

October has the highest rate of teen fatalities on the road, more than any other month, albeit by a narrow margin. There are five other months where the fatality rate is only 1% less than October. Another statistic is that 45% of all teen traffic fatalities in 2022 occurred between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. and 37% of teen traffic fatalities in 2022 occurred on weekends.

Parents play a pivotal role when it comes to leading by example. When a teen driver sees their parent obeying the rules of the road, they get the message. If their parent is breaking the rules, they may adopt those behaviors when they’re on the road.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Nate Connors is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Nate’s stories here. Follow Nate on X and email him hereHead here to follow KIRO Newsradio Traffic’s profile on X.

Chokepoints

Photo: Traffic in Seattle....

Chris Sullivan

Pay-by-mile is getting closer to reality in Washington

The legislature is finally going to take up the Road Usage Charge. The plan to have us pay-by-mile will have its first hearing on Thursday.

4 hours ago

speed cameras washington...

Chris Sullivan

Speed cameras coming to WA freeway work zones soon

Speed cameras are on their way to a freeway work zone near you. WSDOT is about to debut mobile cameras to improve safety.

14 hours ago

parking...

Chris Sullivan

Bellevue considering getting rid of free street parking

Free street parking could be going away in Downtown Bellevue, as the city struggles to meet the growing demand for spaces.

5 days ago

Image: Outline of the SR 520 Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project....

Nate Connors

Nighttime work ramps up on Portage Bay Viaduct Project

An update on the Portage Bay Viaduct Project as work will pick up on Wednesday night, February 5.

6 days ago

Image: Lieutenant John O'Neil, a 20-year veteran of the Seattle Police Department, has filed a laws...

Jason Rantz

Rantz Exclusive: City of Seattle hit with another discrimination and harassment complaint

Another Seattle lawsuit was filed against the city, alleging discrimination and hostile environment at its police department.

6 days ago

driver's license real ID...

Chris Sullivan

Flying after May? You’ll need more than a WA driver’s license

Flying after May? Your Washington driver's license isn't going to get you through TSA after May 7 -- the day the Real ID Act goes into effect.

8 days ago

Rules every parent should teach during National Teen Driver Safety Week