Did you see Stephanie talking on her cell phone while she was driving down Main Street the other day? Did you hear that Tyler that got his 2nd speeding ticket and only has had his license for 3 months? Did you know that John that lives down the road has already totaled 2 cars and isn’t yet out of High School? Where in the world did these kids learn to drive?
Even though these are fictitious situations, they really do exist. Teens all over Clermont County and the rest of the world continue to get their license and begin driving. It is such a scary time for parents! Too bad we can’t do something about it!
The good news is that we can do something about it. There are many things parents can to lessen their child’s chance of having a crash or making a bad choice while driving. The thing is, our responsibility as parents of teen drivers doesn’t just start the day they begin driving. Teens learn to drive mostly from their parents, with a bit of influence from the Driver’s Education system.
As summer quickly approaches and teens look forward to outings with their friends, please know that what you do as a parent with your teen in relation to his or her driving can make a big difference. In some cases it can be the difference between life and death (or life and disability). The information that follows has been taken from the National Young Driver Survey (NYDS) which was conducted by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Research Institute and sponsored by State Farm Insurance. This is an impressive new study of what a national sample of 5,665 teens (grades 9-11) thought about various parenting styles’ effects on their driving.
The researchers looked at the relationship between parenting style, various risky driving behaviors, and the likelihood of teen crashes. “Parenting style” is defined as the balance between support and control. So let us first look at the four different widely accepted parenting styles. You decide which one of the four styles you usually have with your teen.
The permissive parent has a lot of support for his/her teen but doesn’t make a lot of rules for the teen and trusts instead of monitoring the teen. A typical statement from this type of parent would be “I trust you’ll do the right thing”. The uninvolved parent rarely sets any rules, doesn’t monitor his/her teen, and offers little emotional support. This parent would typically say, “Kids will be kids. You’ll learn from your mistakes”. The authoritarian parent (think “dictator”) sets a lot of rules and monitors his/her teen with eagle eyes, but does not offer much support (“You’ll do as I say!). Finally, the authoritative parent sets rules, does a lot of monitoring of the teen, and at the same time gives a lot of emotional support (“I care, and I’ll give you the freedoms you earn, but for safety-related issues, you’ll do as I say.”).
So which style do you usually use with your teen? These parenting styles, of course, carry over to lots more situations than driving. It’s important for you to know that your parenting style CAN affect your teen’s crash risk. In the NYDS, teens who said their parents set rules and monitor where they are going and with whom in a helpful and supportive way were half as likely to be in a crash. These same teens were 71% less likely to drive under the influence of alcohol than those teens who said that their parents were less involved (offered little support or monitoring and/or didn’t set rules).
And that’s not all! Teens who described their parents as either authoritative or authoritarian were nearly twice as likely to wear their seat belts (as a driver or passenger) as teens who thought their parents were uninvolved. And teens with authoritative or authoritarian parents were less likely to speed, race, or show off while driving than those teens who reported having either permissive or uninvolved parents.
You might ask the question “What exactly do you mean by ‘parent support’? According to the NYDS report, teens who describe their parents as “supportive” say they are loving and responsive and can be counted on to be helpful.
Setting clear rules is also a must if you want to prevent crashes with your teen. CHOP recommends these permanent safe driving rules: (1) ALWAYS use seat belts for driver and all passengers. (2) Do not use cell phones or other electronic devices while driving. (3) Do not drive while impaired—drugged, drowsy, or drunk—or ride as a passenger with an impaired driver. (4) Do not ride with an unlicensed or inexperienced driver.
Now, if you have a new teen driver you should add these driving rules for your teen: (1) No peer passengers. (2) No nighttime driving. (3) No high-speed roads. (4) No driving in bad weather. And finally: YOU, the parent, control the keys to the new driver’s vehicle. It was very clear from the NYDS that teens who are the main drivers of a vehicle are more than TWICE as likely to be in a crash as those teens that have to share a vehicle with other family members. So start out the first six months with your teen having to ask you for the keys (even if your teen has his or her own vehicle). After the first six months of licensed driving, you can gradually lift these restrictions in stages IF your teen has proven to follow these rules and has gained more driving experience.
Teen crashes happen for a variety of reasons, but parents can help to prevent a number of those reasons. Drive safely yourself so your child has a good example to follow. Teens learn to drive directly from the way they have been driven their entire life. Wear your belt, don’t tailgate, and slow down! To see the complete report on the National Young Driver Survey, go to www.research.chop.edu/programs/youngdriver/docs/NYDS_Report2.pdf.
Martha Enriquez is the coordinator of Clermont County Safe Communities, a program of the Clermont County Health District. For more information, contact Enriquez at (513)735-8409 or menriquez@clermontcountyohio.gov
Updated: 04/12/2010