The Greatest Risk For Teenage Drivers? Lack of Experience
Adolescents are known to take chances, succumb to peer pressure, overestimate their abilities, and have emotional mood swings. Each of these behaviors can increase the likelihood for the teenage driver to be involved in an automobile crash. Investigations have shown that “the cause of teenage crashes is not the skill with which they can drive, but the judgment they exercise while driving,” according to an editorial in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Dr. Simons-Morton of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has concluded from research that “safe driving judgment, as with all complex activities, comes only with experience.”
Inexperienced drivers are left with a Catch-22: Lack of experience makes puts them at high risk of being involved in an accident, and the only way to improve as a driver is more experience. One of the safest methods to increase experience for new teen drivers is supervised driving sessions with their parents, before and after they have obtained their license. This provides a real-time, constructive environment in which to get hands-on experience, all while being monitored by their parents, legal guardian, or other knowledgable driver with years of experience under their belt. By continuing supervised driving practice sessions, this can help mitigate risks for your children and loved ones.
