Fortunately, good news can be found in the fact that some states, including California, Massachusetts, and Illinois, are revisiting or introducing laws to better protect teen drivers – and, by extension – other motorists on our roads and highways.
As if street racing isn’t enough to worry about, teen drivers also report engaging in other high-risk driving behaviors in startling numbers.
39 percent say they speed often
37 percent say they often talk on a cell phone when behind the wheel
30 percent say they often text message while driving
When you take “often” out of the equation, those numbers jump precipitously to 91 percent (speeding), 90 percent (talking on a cell phone), and 73 percent (text messaging) of teen drivers.
Of course, the drivers aren’t the only ones in jeopardy. More than one quarter of teens indicate that they are frequently passengers in a car where such unsafe behaviors are taking place.
What’s their responsibility?
Research shows that young drivers may be more likely to listen to their friends than to adults – so teen passengers need to be empowered to speak up when drivers are placing them, and others, at risk.
But, ironically, that may be easier said than done.
Despite the fact that so many teens feel that so many behaviors are dangerous, only about half of teens (57 percent) say they would ask a driver to stop engaging in even the most serious behaviors, such as street racing. Sad when you consider that most teen drivers say that if their friends asked, they would stop racing (87 percent), speeding (79 percent), text messaging (80 percent), or talking on a cell phone (68 percent).
Speaking up about slowing down will fuel peer-led persuasion to stop teens from chasing cars.
Stephen Wallace, national chairman of SADD and author of the new book, Reality Gap: Alcohol, Drugs, and Sex—What Parents Don’t Know and Teens Aren’t Telling, has broad experience as a school psychologist and adolescent counselor. For more information about SADD, visit sadd.org . For more information about Stephen, visit stephengraywallace.com.
john sena, austin, TX 02/19/09
The above article is informative to get more knowledge on teen driving behaviors and the rate of teen ending their lives due to over racing activities. Parenting today’s teens is a major job for any parent, and parents should take of professional help while dealing with these troubled teens. There are many professional troubled teens programs which are organized under specialists whom having years of successful results in changing troubled teens to responsible individuals.
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