Terry A. Tolbert Automobile Insurance Law Blog on Lawyers.com

These statistics are enough to frighten any parent and to get every
parent asking questions about how to help reduce the risk of teen car
accidents and keep their kids safe. Our attorneys
want parents to be aware that their own behavior and actions can make a
big difference in how their kids drive.  For parents who want to do
everything possible to stop teen car accidents, this means being
actively involved and modeling good behavior.

Teens Take Cues From Their Parents on Safe Driving

According to a University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
study, a parent’s behavior when driving can have a very significant
impact on how a teen behaves. The study revealed, for example, that
parents who:

• Always wear their seat belts
• Refrain from texting and driving
• Follow safe driving rules

are much more likely to have teenagers who do the same. In fact, a
CSRC principal engineer and teen driving safety expert indicated that
parents should always set a good example for their child when driving from the time their child is young.

Parents who text, speed, talk on cell phones or otherwise behave in
an unsafe way are, on the other hand, less likely to have leverage to
tell their kids not to do the same. Kids will take cues and learn what
is acceptable from watching their parents, and the idea of “Do as a I
say, not as a I do,” doesn’t necessarily appear to be very effective at
encouraging kids to make safe driving choices.

Talking To Your Kids is Important Too

Setting an example with your own behavior is one key way to encourage
your children to be safe and not take dangerous or unnecessary risks
when they are driving. Do not drive while texting or intexticated.

US News reported on a State Farm survey addressing teen car
accident risks and dangers. According to the results of the survey,
teenagers who indicated that their parents had clear driving rules and
that their parents were supportive were about half as likely to become
involved in a car wreck than teenagers with parents who didn’t choose to
be actively involved in setting limits and supervising driving.

Talk To Your Teen Over the Holiday

These statistics show that what you do can make a real difference and
have a big impact on whether your teenager drives safely or not. Since a
simple conversation about safe driving may be the thing that saves your
child’s life, it is a good idea to have the conversation as soon as
possible and to have it often.

This holiday break presents an ideal time to discuss
safe driving when you and your kids are both home with time on your
hands. So, this holiday season, take the time to talk to your teenager
about safe driving and about how unnecessary risks put his life and the
lives of innocent victims.