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Teen Drivers

When considering drivers of all ages, the risk of motor vehicle crashes is highest among those aged 16 to 19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Almost 3,500 teens in the United States between the ages of 15–19 were killed and more than 350,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes in 2008, the last year for which statistics are available. Teen drivers lack experience behind the wheel, they are less likely than experienced drivers to recognize potentially risky situations. As prom season approaches, teens who have little experience behind the wheel will be heading out onto the roads to celebrate prom, graduation, and to spend time with friends before heading off to college. The CDC has prepared an article titled, Safe To and From Prom... and Beyond, that promotes teen driver safety.

To read the CDC's article “Safe to and from Prom… and Beyond, click on the following link: www.cdc.gov/Features/TeenDrivers

To find out more about Graduated Driver Licensing laws in your state, click on the following link: http://www.cdc.gov/Motorvehiclesafety/Teen_Drivers/state_specific_sites.htm

Texting and Teens

According to a new poll by the Pew Research Center for American teens and reported by National Public Radio, cell phones are a vital social tool. Texting is a teen's preferred method of communication. An estimated 75 percent of 12-to17-year-olds have cell phones. And since teens tend to text throughout their entire day, this means that teens also text while driving. University of Utah psychologist David Strayer says that while texting, people will take their eyes off the road for as long as it would take to drive the length of a football field. Strayer adds, "In terms of accident risk, you're more likely to be hit by someone who's text messaging than someone who's drunk. And that's a pretty alarming statistic."

To learn more about cell phone and texting laws in your state, click on the following link: http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html

Teens and Healthy Risks

Teen risk-taking can lead to more confident, independent teens, if the risks that they take are "good" risks. A recent report on National Public Radio described the benefits of taking good risks in the development of teens. Healthy risk taking -- attempting new sports and activities – can help to "define, develop, and consolidate" a teens identity, according to Lynn Ponton, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. By joining a sports team or taking an art class a teen is taking a healthy. It's something they have never done before and it can be an exciting adventure. These healthy risks usually have a positive outcome in the way of making new friends, developing talents, and increasing self-esteem. However, teens also need to be cautioned to avoid unhealthy risks, such as driving too fast. Parents and teachers should talk to teens about healthy and unhealthy risks, and the government is helping reduce one unhealthy risk that teen drivers face. Many states have introduced graduated driving laws that restrict new teen drivers from getting behind the wheel of a car when other teens are passengers. Studies show that teen drivers are more likely to take unhealthy risks if other teens are passengers in the same vehicle. To read an article about teaching teens to take healthy risks, click on the following link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126608357