What parents could do to protect their teen drivers

The car accident is the number one killer of American teenagers. In fact, according to the Road Safety Insurance Association, young people between the ages of 16 and 17 have a fatal car accident rate of almost three times that of drivers aged 20 and over.

To help solve this problem and highlight ongoing challenges, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will set the Youth Driver Safety Week from October 21st to 27th. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2016, 1908 drivers aged 15 to 20 died in motor vehicle collisions, the most recent year in which data were available. This marks a 2.1% increase over 2015.

For a parent, having a new driver can be one of the most stressful and disturbing moments, especially if you know these facts. Many state graduate licensing programs (gdl) have helped alleviate some of the pressure on parents.

The GDL program sets strict driving rules that require a certain level of education, minimum driving experience time (some with parents), limited driving time, and limits the number of passengers a new driver can take. But these restrictions will eventually fail, usually around the age of 18, or a young driver holding a driver's license for a specific period of time.

There are some important steps that parents can take in conjunction with their country's GDL restrictions to help young drivers get as much good driving experience as possible while remaining as safe as possible.

Parents must lead by example

Although people think that our teenagers and young drivers claim to be omniscient, they are still observing and learning about their parents' behavior. The example you set for them is probably the most important, actually to make them safer than any other security information you give them throughout life. So make it meaningful.

Whether your child is driving or driving, make sure:

Fasten your seat belts: Although many states have seat belt regulations, teenagers have the lowest seat belt usage, especially when they are passengers. You must fasten your seat belts and make sure they are the same.

Put down the phone: Adults often find that the quietness of the car is a tempting opportunity to call or answer the phone while driving. Avoid this temptation not only because of the risks it brings, but also because of the information it conveys to your young driver. Set an example by having your child text or call you.

Slowdown: According to the recently announced death toll, speed is a contributing factor to nearly one-third of motor vehicle deaths in 2016. The young driver is still not very good at judging how fast it is, so it is safer for both of you to drive slower than usual.

Don't drink and drive: When you drink a glass or two at a dinner party, pay special attention to the information you send to your child. Emphasize the importance of assigning drivers and let your teenagers listen to you and other adults to discuss this issue.

Consider your own driving contract: write down a set of rules, and perhaps more importantly, if they violate these rules, the consequences they will face will clearly indicate what your expectations are. Sample contracts can be found on many websites, including this AAA (PDF) or some insurance companies.

Youth-centered security features

Some carmakers offer models with specific features built on the concept of grading licensing to empower parents to set certain limits and provide a means of monitoring driving behavior.

Think carefully about the car they drive

It is important that your child drives a car. The list of cars we recommend for teen drivers (both new and used) is based on a philosophy that helps them avoid crashes. It turns out that these cars are good, safe and reliable.

But besides that, we also narrowed down the range of recommended vehicles to those that were not fast, but not too slow, so that young drivers did not have enough confidence to merge or drive into the traffic. We only choose vehicles with good braking distance and good emergency performance.

Because additional passengers increase the risk of young drivers, our list does not include three rows of SUVs or minivans. According to the IIHS data, in 2015, 55% of teenage passenger deaths occurred on another teenager's driving vehicle.