Helping to Reduce the Risks of Car Accidents in Modesto and Elsewhere among Teen Drivers

 As we recently reported on our Modesto Injury Lawyers Blog, teenage drivers are most likely to be involved in a car accident during the first 30 days after they get their unrestricted driver's license. Luckily, there are a few things that can help reduce the risks for these vulnerable drivers. Parents and passengers play an integral role, according to Medical Press.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), new drivers are prohibited from riding with passengers under the age of 20 when they have a restricted or intermediate license. It's important for parents to enforce these rules while their teen is learning to drive. It's also critically important that parents stay involved in their teen's driving habits once they've completed the graduated driver's licensing (GDL) program. The truth of the matter is that passengers greatly increase the risks of car accidents in Modesto and elsewhere among teenage drivers.

A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health determined that passengers had a significant impact on a teen driver's habits behind the wheel. With both male and female drivers, they were more likely to engage in dangerous driving habits when passengers were present. According to a study of nearly 700 teen accident reports, drivers with passengers were more susceptible to car accidents. While boys were more likely to speed and drive aggressively with passengers present, girls were more likely to look at the passenger, make phone calls and text. Regardless of the type of distraction, the danger was there in nearly every scenario.

"Distraction from peer passengers appears to play a prominent role for both male and female drivers," said Allison E. Curry, Ph.D., MPH, who was also an author in the study.

Parents should know, however, that they can significantly reduce these risks for their teens. Another study published in the same journal determined that teenage drivers with parents who knew their whereabouts and passenger count typically had less chance of being in an accident. Parental involvement helped to keep teens focused on the dangers of the roadways, as well as ensuring they would practice their safe driving habits.

Researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia concluded, through the study of nearly 200 teen drivers, that graduated driver's licensing laws, coupled with parental involvement, equals safer teen drivers. When teenagers drive with state laws and parental enforcement, they're less likely to screw around behind the wheel. As teens learn to drive, the habits they develop during the first few years behind the wheel will be ones they use the rest of their lives. Let's all do our part to help to mold them into safe and responsible drivers.