Teaching Teen Drivers To Recognize Risks

This article points out a variety of hazardous driving situations to discuss with your teenager before he or she takes the wheel.

Risks due to age and inexperience

Hazard perception is a particular problem for teen drivers. Teens have not yet developed the ability to "scan" far ahead and to the sides as they drive, and they don’t detect hazards like pedestrians or roadside objects as fast as experienced drivers do. They might not respond as effectively from the time they see the hazard through the time needed to respond.

Drive home the message on distractions.

• Point out drivers who are doing things like talking on cell phones, and explain why that is unsafe.
• Teach your teen that it’s okay to tell passengers, "Please don’t distract me while I’m driving."
• Practice what you preach: Pull over to use your cell phone, or have your passenger answer it instead.
• Don’t change CDs or the radio or reach for a map. Pull over and explain the need to devote your full attention to the road.

Risks due to driving conditions or situations

Driving with passengers at night, in poor weather, or while distracted by the radio or cell phone are situations that increase teens’ risk for a crash. Ninety-four percent of teens in the National Young Driver Survey reported that seeing distracting behavior from teen passengers was common; nearly half said seeing teen passengers urge the driver to speed was common.

Distractions are a particularly dangerous risk factor for new drivers. Research has shown that, as a rule of thumb, their eyes shouldn’t leave the road for more than two to three seconds at a time.

Encourage your teen to drive more cautiously when it’s dark or raining, and when the road conditions are poor, and to leave greater distance between his or her vehicle and the next car in front. This increases reaction time, should the car in front stop or slow down unexpectedly. Read more about severe weather driving.

Risks due to driver behavior

Not wearing seat belts, drinking and driving, speeding, using a cell phone, and carrying other teen passengers (even just one!) all greatly increase a young driver’s crash risk. They can often mean the difference between a minor crash and a serious or even fatal one.

Talk about the risks and consequences of these behaviors, and discuss what the penalties will be if your teen doesn’t follow the rules, such as removing certain driving privileges. Teens who are more likely to take risks off the road are also more likely to take part in risky behavior on the road – where it can be deadly.

For more facts and practical tips for teen drivers, visit teendriving.statefarm.com.