Teen Driver Wants Range Rover
I’m Ed Smith, a Red Bluff auto accident attorney. Being the parent of a child who is about to start driving can be scary and funny at the same time. The funny part is how kids start picking out the car they intend on owning somewhere around age 14 or 15. Before they even have a work permit or money of their own they are eye-balling cars that they want as their very first car. My teen informed me recently that her first car was going to be a Range Rover. She even has a picture of the one she wants on her iPhone. Meanwhile, I am old enough to work and I do have a job and I’m driving a Toyota Camry.
Does Having a Child Who is Ready to Drive Scare You?
Having a child who is a new driver or about to become one can be quite scary indeed. All soon-to-be and current teenage drivers should be aware of the choices teen drivers are making every day in our country that result in serious and fatal car accidents. Our kids must learn the facts. My daughter needs to know that the chances are slim to none of her getting a Range Rover at 16. She also needs to know that teens are dying at an alarming rate due to car accidents.
Every Day In America We Lose Teen Drivers
Every day in America, car accidents end more teen lives than cancer, suicide and homicide combined. Based on the number of miles driven, teenage drivers are involved in three times more fatal car accidents than all other drivers. Children’s risk of being seriously hurt in a crash starts to increase as early as middle school. Partly because they often ride with older siblings, siblings of their friends and neighborhood teens. Even the most level-headed and brightest teen drivers have a higher risk of being involved in a deadly car crash compared with their experienced adult drivers.
How Can I Help My Teen Drive Safely?
You can make a difference in your child’s life by telling them the truth about the above statistics and encouraging them to understand how fragile life is. Some might disagree, but teens really do value the opinions of their parents more then anyone else (even if it doesn’t always appear like it). That’s why sharing the risk factors and grim statistics with your child is so crucial. Share all the research and knowledge you can dig up about safe driving. Tell them about distracted driving and drunk driving accidents. Before your teen gets into the car with another teen driver or begins driving on their own, start opening the lines of communication and give potentially life-saving conversations a real chance with your teen. Set and enforce a set of rules. Remember to model responsible and safe driving behaviors to help avoid devastating crashes. Our kids are watching us as we drive. Let them see a responsible example. They look up to us.
Teen Passenger Fatalities – Get the Facts and Reduce the Risks
Your child faces a much greater crash risk when riding as a passenger with a teen driver. Set limits early on and enforce them. As a kid, I was allowed to ride with one college age friend. That was it. Once I began driving, my folks preferred me to do all the driving. I still couldn’t ride as passenger with my friends until I turned 18. The only exception was the one college age friend that I had.
Riding as a Passenger With a Teen Driver at Night
Your child’s crash risk is even greater when riding as a passenger with a teen driver at night.
Seat Belts
Wearing a seat belt is mandatory. It greatly reduces your child’s risk of being hurt or killed in a crash. Make it a rule: everyone buckles up every time and for every trip – no matter what.
Red Bluff Auto Accident Injury Attorneys
I’m Ed Smith, Red Bluff auto accident attorney. If you or someone you hold dear has been seriously injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident, please call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free and friendly advice. We are here to help you right now.
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