How to help teenagers become better drivers

A new crop of teenagers is ready to take to the roads with their newly minted drivers' licenses. Most teenagers are anxious to get behind the wheel because having a license and access to a car means freedom they may not have had before. However, parents and guardians may be worried about these teens on the road because they lack the practice and experience of more advanced drivers. Continuing to educate young drivers about safety can help reduce the risk of accident.

Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that vehicular accidents account for 35 percent of all fatalities among people 15 to 20 years old.

What puts teens particularly at risk is the tendency of many young drivers to engage in reckless behavior and/or distracted driving. It is often up to parents to reinforce the rules of the road and also consistently work with their children so that the teens can become better drivers.

* Practice safer driving. As with any activity, practice helps hone skills and teaches people through their own mistakes. Driving is no exception. Mistakes on the road can be serious; therefore, it is best for teen drivers to practice driving in areas that are not heavily populated or full of traffic. Parents may want to establish rules that the teen is not able to drive solo until he or she passes the requirements set forth by Mom or Dad. Parents can routinely ride around with their teen children to gauge how progress is coming along.

* Get the facts. Talk to teens about road risks and how to stay safe. Research the laws and statistics pertaining to teenage drivers and share that information. It may not always be well received, but there's a good chance that some of the message will get through.

* Set a good example. According to a 2007 study from Students Against Destructive Decisions, the biggest influence on how teens drive is their parents. Almost two-thirds of high school teens say their parents talk on a cell phone while driving, almost half say their parents speed and almost one-third say their parents don't wear a safety belt. Parents should be mindful of their own behaviors when driving and the impression those behaviors are making on youngsters.

* Establish rules. Distracted driving is claiming more and more lives each year. Many accidents are as the result of texting while driving. According to Distraction.org, in 2010, 3,092 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and an estimated additional 416,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. Also, research has found that sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent -- at 55 mph -- of driving the length of an entire football field blind. Parents can implement rules, such as that cell phones are not allowed to be on while in the car or the phone should be stored in the back seat or trunk while a teen is driving. Parents also may want to set rules that multiple passengers (friends) are not allowed to ride in the car until the teen is more accustomed to driving.

Driving is an activity that offers freedom and mobility. It is also one that places a very large and potentially destructive piece of machinery into the hands of a driver. Education should be ongoing as teens learn to drive.