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Teend DrivingYou’ve passed your driver’s test and are ready to go out and enjoy the freedom of having a driver’s license. That’s great, but we want to remind you of some safe driving tips while you are enjoying your new license.Safe Driving Tips Did you know that the number one killer of teens is vehicle crashes? People ages 15-24 make up 16% of people that drive but account for 28% of all crashes that occur. There are several reasons these crashes are occurring, many of which can be prevented. One of the biggest reasons is lack of seat belt use. Each year, 75% of teens are killed by not wearing their seatbelt. This is a scary thought when the risk of a fatal injury is decreased by half when a seatbelt is worn properly. We encourage you to make sure that the first thing you do when you get in the car is to buckle up, if you have passengers, make sure they are also buckled up. If you get pulled over for a traffic violation and your or your front seat passenger is not buckled up, you may have to pay a fine. Distracted Driving is also a contributing factor when it comes to vehicle crashes involving more than one car. Remember to always keep your focus on the road. There are several ways teens can be distracted when driving. Some of these include:
Speeding is another reason teens are injured in most one vehicle crashes. Rural areas are especially dangerous because of the long stretches of road. Often time’s teens are not able to compensate for different driving conditions and changes in the road such as winding roads. Make sure that you are well rested before getting behind the wheel. Lack of sleep can decrease your reaction time. One study that was done showed that a person that has been awake for 24 hours experiences impairment similar to a blood alcohol level of 0.10%, if you were drinking, you would get a DWI with a level of 0.08 so being tired can be just as dangerous as drinking and driving. If you are under 21 years of age, it is illegal to drink. If you are caught drinking and driving, you will lose your license until you are 18 years old. This law was passed after a 15 year old female passenger was killed in vehicle crash. This law is called Vanessa’s Law http://www.dps.state.mn.us/ots/Laws_Legislation/vanessa_law.asp Tips for Parents with new Teen Drivers It’s hard to let your teens go off with their friends in a car, but there are some things you can do to reinforce the importance of safe driving with your child. One thing you can do is create a driving contract; this can be individualized to what you and your teen decide on. There are several factors to take into consideration. Some things you may want to add to your contract include: daytime vs. nighttime driving, weather conditions, passengers in the car, seat belt use, and eating in the car. An example of a driving contract can be found on the Allstate website: http://www.allstate.com/content/refresh-ttachments/TeenDriver_sheet_contract.pdf Some insurance companies also provide cameras that are placed in a teen driver’s car to record how they are driving. Talk with your insurance companies to see if this is an option. More information about these cameras can be found at: http://www.teensafedriver.com For more resources on teen driving, check out these sites: http://www.keepthedrive.com http://www.dps.state.mn.us/ots/resource_catalog/talking_points/Teens.doc |
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News and Events July 14, 2008 West Nile Virus August 7, 2008 Breastfeeding Q & A August 7, 2008 Teen Driving/Seatbelts August 8, 2008 Minnesota School Immunization Law |
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