Driving is always exciting and daunting. When teen drivers learn to drive, there are specific preventive measures they must know to avoid accidents. But according to a recent survey, only 25% of teens had a conversation with their parents regarding the safety driving tips and safety precautions to be taken care of.
What about the others? To help you learn the basic driving safety tips, we have created a series of important lessons for first-time drivers. The tips will help you navigate the road ahead.
Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens of age ranging between 15–19 years, and the injuries related to accidents are also life-changing and fatal. According to Edgar Snyder and associates, 17,321 teen drivers experienced an accident in Pennsylvania. A total of 4.7 percent of 18-year-old drivers were involved in crashes.
Parents should give their children proper driving classes before giving them any vehicle, and they should have a driving license before going on the roads.
Accidents do not happen — they are caused. Preventgrams, Buffalo Department of Health Sanitary Bulletin, 1916
Causes of the accidents:
The main causes of the accidents among teens may include:
- Drinking alcohol or drug usage. (About 1\4 of car accidents in teens are caused due to drinking)
- Using cell phones while driving. (32.8% of teens use phones while driving)
- Not wearing seat belts and helmets. (70% of young drivers who died in accidents didn’t wear seatbelts)
- Vehicle racing. (315 cases of fatal accidents during racing have been reported in FARS between 1998–2001)
- Not following the traffic rules. (4, 97,686 accidents happened in India in 2011 because of violating traffic rules)
- Not using side mirrors effectively
Driving safety tips for teens:
Here are the 6 basic things that a teen driver must know in order to avoid accidents while driving. Give a read to the section below to know more:
1. Driving at a normal speed:
There is a famous saying that “better late than never.” Driving slowly may seem boring, but it is about following the traffic rules and for your own and other’s safety.
Driving at high speeds decreases your control over the vehicle, which mostly ends up in the form of accidents. So always leave sooner, drive slower and live longer. Follow the speed instructions given on the signboards on the roadsides.
Teens drive at high speeds because they are always in a hurry, for the fear of not being late to their destination. The easy solution for this problem is that you may leave your home 10 to 15 minutes early. According to NHTSA, 9,478 people died due to overspeeding in 2019.
Many teens drive at high speed for the cool factor; they feel it is cool to drive roughly and fast, which most of the time ends up in accidents and severe injury, and often deaths.
2. Choosing your lane carefully:
Get information about all of the lanes on the road. Each lane specifies something; for example, the rightmost lane is known as the fastest lane, the left-most lane specifies the slowest lane, and the middle one is the normal speed lane. This may be different for different countries. Just like that, also know about the traffic lights and other rules.
Side mirrors are essential while driving and changing the lanes; always see the side mirrors before changing the lanes. Also, use the indicators of the vehicle, turn on the right indicator before turning to the right and use the left indicator for turning to the left. You can also take online classes to learn the basics of driving and driving rules.
3. Be focused:
Never drink, eat or use mobile phones while driving. These activities decrease your focus on driving. Turn off your phones while driving your vehicle and pay full attention to driving.
Never talk to the other passenger sitting by your side, and also sleep well before driving. Always fasten your seat belts before driving; seat belts reduce the chances of injury in case of any road accident. Take care of all the precautionary measures.
Remember! Do not drive when you are sleepy because studies have shown that your attention span reduces when you are sleepy, and you feel drowsiness. Many accidents take place due to this reason.
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 100,000 traffic crashes and above 1500 deaths per year occur due to sleep deprivation
4. Apply brake carefully:
Learn when to apply brakes and how much pressure you should apply on the pedal. If you see the stop sign on the road, start gently applying the brake well before reaching that point. Hitting the brakes too hard may result in tears and cracks in the tires, and it often leads to accidents.
Also, applying sudden and hard brakes may result in injury because you can hit your head on the steering wheel, and as you know, head injuries are fatal and often life-endangering. So always be careful about applying brakes.
5. Hold the wheel steady
This is very important while driving; only smooth steering keeps the car in control. While taking turns, doing reverse, or holding the car straight down the road, keeping a steady hold on the wheel is important.
6. Follow 3 to 4 seconds rule:
To decrease the chances of collisions from your front, you can follow the 3 to 4 seconds rule. Keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle driving in front of you.
When a vehicle in front of you reaches a stopping point, start counting up till 3 or 4, and if you reach the same point before you have finished counting, this means you are driving too close to the front vehicle. And thus, you can take safety precautions well before time.
Car Accident Attorney in Wyoming
The car accidents can also be due to ignorance or the other person’s negligence; for this problem, you can get help from the car accident attorney in Wyoming. They will help you recover after any car accident and injuries through legal assistance and start your life forward. Also, will assist you in tackling motorcycle, bicycle, car, pedestrian, bus, and truck accidents. So, visit them in case of an accident.
Conclusion:
According to the World Health Organization (2004), road accidents will become the world’s third foremost cause of death by the year 2020 if no effective measures are taken. So, make your choices wisely, whether you want to follow the rules and safety precautions or endanger yourself and others.
Always remember, “Faster is fatal; slower is safe.”
