Keeping your child safe behind the wheel!

As parents, we are happy when our kids can drive, yet in many ways, scared out of our wits!  Why is that?  Well, we are happy because now we won’t have to be their personal chauffeurs any more.  We are also thrilled when we are cooking dinner and notice we need some potatoes to go with the meal we are preparing and can easily now say – “Hey, can you run to the store and buy some potatoes and milk?  Here is the debit card.”

Yet as parents of inexperienced drivers (yes, been there/done that), we are fearful of just not our own children’s driving skills, but the other idiots on the road. 

Will my amazing child have the driving experience to . . .

• Hold a couple of seconds when the light turns green - to make sure no one is trying to get through at the last minute?
• Look both ways at least twice before entering an intersection?
• Look behind the car, walking around it and out the back window before backing out of the driveway or a parking space?
• Turn on the turn signal, check the mirrors and look behind their shoulder before changing lanes?
• Remember when turning your head to look over their shoulder to not turn the steering wheel the same direction?
• Know that if they accidentally drive a little over the shoulder of the road to slowly come back on, not jerk the steering wheel?

Let’s all remind our children how important they are to us and share these facts with them.  Yes, I am sure they get this in drivers training, but love them more and share the following (even if they already know it):

1. Age is considered a significant risk factor to your driving skills, whether we like it or not. 
   We all know teenage drivers that are so safe and drive all their lives, never having an accident.
   But. . . in 2015:

• 235,845 kids between ages 16 and 19 were treated in emergency rooms for injuries suffered in car accidents.
• 2,333 teens were killed in that same year.
• In other words - six teenagers from 16 to 19 are killed every day from car accidents.

More facts to share with your teen:

1. Gender – Teenage males die two times the rate of teenage females.
   
2. In 2013, your people ages 15 to 19 accounted for 7% of the U.S. population, but they were 11% of total costs from car crashes ($10 Billion).
   
3. Teenagers are more likely to not recognize dangerous situations and are less likely to have the critical thinking skills to avoid an accident.
   
4. 32% of fatal crashes among 16 to 20 years of age were speeding and 22% were drinking.
   
5. Texting and driving makes a crash 23 times more likely.
   
6. Teens who text while driving spend 10% of their driving time outside of their lane.
   
7. 19% of drivers of all ages admit to surfing the web while driving (this is who admits it!!).

Love your children!!  Remind them frequently how important they are to you!!!  Share this page with your children who drive!!! 

Should you have questions about how your kids affect your auto rates, feel free to give us a call at Traxler Insurance in Fort Wayne or Parker Insurance in Churubusco.

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-fact-about-texting-and-driving