Teens on the road can be unsettling to all of us. For those of us with teen drivers in our household, you may very well worry about their own inexperience or questionable driving practices. Alternatively, you may worry about others on the road who are distracted or otherwise not driving safely. For those of us who do not have teen drivers in the house, you may worry about yourself and your own loved ones who may become victims of some of the unsafe driving habits of teens. All of this is simply to say that there are certain driving habits exhibited by a large swath of teen drivers that prove unsafe to them, their passengers, and others on the road. Fortunately, once identified and addressed, these habits can be broken and we can work to keep each other safer.
Unsafe Driving Habits of Teens
The inexperience of teenager drivers is, in and of itself, a safety threat. Inexperience can make for uncertain and anxious teen drivers. Fortunately, the more you practice, the more comfortable behind the wheel you become. In the meantime, help ensure that your teen gets the time needed driving so that they have a significant amount of experience.
Talk to your teen about some of the unsafe driving habits they may fall victim to, or that their peers may fall victim too. For instance, distracted driving is obviously a big and significantly dangerous driving habit of many teens. One of the biggest driving distractions is, of course, texting while driving. Talk to your teen about how to avoid texting while driving. They could appoint a designated texter to handle sending and receiving texts. They could pull over to a safe place to check a text should they be unable to wait to check until arriving at their destination. They could even put their phone in the trunk of the car to avoid the texting temptation while driving. Make a point to also warn against the danger of other distractions, such as eating, drinking, applying making, changing music, fiddling with navigation, and more.
Another dangerous driving habit of teens which is in the same vein as the distracted driving habits mentioned above, is driving with several passengers. It is a tale as old as time, a teen gets their license and access to a vehicle and friends pile in to hitch a ride. Having passengers in a car, however, can be distracting. There will likely be a conversation, maybe even multiple conversations, going on. Distracted driving is dangerous driving. Period. Talk to your teen about managing the number of passengers in their car and making it clear to passengers to be respectful of a driver’s need to focus on the task at hand.
Teens are also very susceptible to drowsy driving. Teens, physiologically speaking, need more sleep than most of us. It is not uncommon for a teen not to get the rest they need and, therefore, they become more likely to drive drowsy. Discuss the importance of sleep with your teen and try to impress upon them the need for being awake and aware while driving.
Personal Injury Attorney
Bad driving habits can mean serious injury for those exhibiting the bad behaviors or for others who fall victim to the bad driving habits of another. If you have been injured by the negligence of another, do not hesitate to reach out to the Law Office of Bryce Cook for assistance. Contact the Law Offices of Bryce Cook today.