The week from October 17-23 is being marked as National Teen Driver Safety Week.For parents in Georgia, Atlanta car accident attorneys, schools and communities, it’s time to renew efforts towards preventing auto accidentsand truck accidents involving teens.
Automobile accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers aged between 15 and 19 and cause a substantial number of teen injuries.Unfortunately, these facts have not changed in spite of years of efforts to prevent teen accidents.This National Teen Driver Safety Week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is launching a campaign called “Parents Have the Key” aimed at encouraging parental involvement in teen motorist safety. We all have to do more to prevent teen auto accidents, but the best place to start preventing accidents is at home.
There’s a reason why a special week for teen motorist safety is commemorated in the month of October.This is the month that is believed to be the deadliest for teen motorists.Nationally, the highest number of car accident claims involving teen motorists is filed in the month of October.
On this blog, we have advocated greater cooperation from parents in preventing teen car accidents.Several studies have indicated that parents have a crucial role to play in raising a generation of responsible drivers. According to USA Today, many parents are now going back to a basic way of keeping track of teen motorists, through parent-teen contracts.
These contracts are available through insurers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and cover a number of provisions, from when your teenager can use the car, to the kind of passengers allowed in the car while driving.The contract allows you to modify some of the rules as your teenager gets more driving experience, and you can also spell out the kind of punishments that apply in case of violations.In fact, insurance companies offer discounts to parents and teenagers who sign these contracts.
Technologies and awareness campaigns definitely have a role to play, but ultimately it’s parents who will need to step up and do their bit.A parent-teen contract can be a great place to start.