The dangers of teens and driving isn’t a new issue.  When I was a kid and learning to drive, we were told of the dangers in having other kids in the car with us, or listening to the radio, or taking our eyes off the road.  But I never had to deal with cell phones, iPods, or text messaging.  Granted, teens today are used to computers and texting while doing something else.  They are multitaskers by nature.

An article over at Reader’s Digest gives tips on how people can help teens learn to drive safely.  They list things parents can do (such as teaching your kids about the dangers) and things the rest of us can do (like fight for stricter laws about teen driving).  The article also starts out with three real life examples on teen driving accidents that resulted in death.  As if these stories weren’t enough, a couple statistics in the article stood out to me.  Out of 5,600 teens surveyed:

“Only 28 percent said using a cell phone is a risk, and 10 percent said the same about having other teens in the car.”

 and

“Only half cited speeding or not wearing a seat belt. Even if teens got the right idea about a behavior-for instance, 87 percent said drinking and driving is dangerous-they didn’t view it as their problem: Only 16 percent said they ever see it happen.”

As a teen, I remember thinking that whatever facts I was told, it wouldn’t happen to me.  Whether this is arrogance or naivety (or a little of both), how do you get teens to realize the dangers and take action to prevent it from happening to them?  How do you convince your teen that they can’t multitask when it comes to driving? 

Post from: Blisstree

Dangers of Teen Driving