Learning to drive and being a young driver are complicated responsibilities. While teens have faster reaction times due to their youth, the potential for distraction among teenage drivers is extraordinary. Specifically with cell phones, teen drivers are four times more likely to be distracted by phones as adults, according to a Ford Motor Company study. All drivers, and especially teens, need a heads-up on some new options for improving safety while driving.
Instructions
1. Review the laws of your state or states where your teen will be driving. Currently 23 states and the District of Columbia entirely ban teenage cell phone use while driving. Being caught in violation of these "Distracted Driver Laws" can result in fines and restrictions on a person's license.
2. Discuss the verified dangers of cell phone use while driving. Studies and information are available from Ford Motor Company, the American Automobile Association and state Departments of Transportation. Mutually agree upon a contract with your teenage driver that includes safety requirements in order to use the car or cell phone, including increased privileges for following safe driving habits. Enforce consequences with consistency when the contract is violated.
3. Follow AAA's three main prevention suggestions as a family as part of your contract. First, turn off your phone before you start driving, allowing your voicemail to pick up your missed calls and texts. Only turn your phone back on once you have arrived at your destination. Next, pull off the road, stopping completely in a safe area if you must call or text during your drive. Finish your phone business before returning to the road. Otherwise have a passenger make or receive necessary calls.
4. Be an example for others. Advocate for safe driving procedures---not talking or texting while driving---and practice them yourself as an adult, modeling standards for the teens and other younger people watching. Take opportunities to learn and educate others about the dangers and pain that car accidents can cause because of split-second distractions.
5. Use creative methods to encourage safety in your community as well. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, one high school junior got creative after two friends were killed in a cell-phone related crash by another teenage driver. She designed a billboard for a safety awareness contest that showed a teenage driver without a seat belt, on the phone and playing with her iPod while driving. The billboard message is "Buckle Up, Hang Up, Heads Up---It All Adds Up" and has been on display for several months in the areas surrounding Grand Rapids.
Tags: while driving, cell phone, teenage driver, your phone, cell phone while, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Company