It is difficult to know where to begin when talking about the potential dangers for teen drivers, but most people are aware of the alarming statistics. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death in 15 to 20-year olds in the United States. In 2012 (the most recent data available) 4,283 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 died in motor vehicle crashes, and 184,000 teen drivers were injured. Drivers in the 15 to 20 age range accounted for 9 percent of all fatal crashes in 2012 and 13 percent of crashes reported to the police, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

While the overall number of fatal accidents in teen drivers has been in decline recently, mostly due to more and more teen drivers delaying getting their drivers licenses, there are still far too many accidents claiming the lives of our young people. We’ve listed some of the leading causes of teen auto accidents and what parents can do to keep their young drivers safer on the roads.

Driver inexperience

The NHTSA reports that the greatest chance of a driver getting into a crash in his or her lifetime is within 6 months of getting a driver’s license, so driver inexperience plays a significant role in teen driving accidents. An article in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention says that more than 75 percent of teen car crashes are due to the following three “critical errors” such as:

1. The lack of visual scanning of the road that is needed in order to detect and respond to road hazards
2. Driving too fast for the road conditions
3. Being distracted by something inside or outside of the vehicle.

It takes time and experience to learn how to focus on the road, handle a car at higher speeds and not be distracted by whatever is going on in the vehicle or within their line of sight.

Distracted driving

According to AAA, distraction was a key factor in 58 percent of crashes involving drivers age 16 to 19. Whether they were interacting with other passengers in the car, looking at something outside the vehicle, grooming or reaching for something inside the vehicle, distractions cause teens to get in accidents. The most deadly distraction is texting behind the wheel. The CDC reports that 41.4 percent of high school students reported that they had texted or emailed behind the wheel.

Parents’ role in teen driver safety

Parents play an important role in making sure that their teen drivers learn safe driving behaviors and develop smart habits behind the wheel. The first step is to lead by example by not texting or talking on your mobile phone while you are driving, not drinking and driving, and obeying the speed limit.

You can also insist your child enroll in a graduated driver’s license program. GDL programs are now available in every state. They are designed to make sure that new, young drivers are afforded a more rigorous time period to learn and improve their driving skills before they get a full, unrestricted license. Driving time with a learner’s permit is restricted to being accompanied by a licensed adult driver with no DUI violations, crashes or traffic violations. The next stage is the intermediate stage where they take a road test, and must be accompanied by an adult in order to drive at night. They must go 12 consecutive months without any accidents or traffic violations before they are eligible to get a full license.

The CDC has developed a template for a parent-teen driving agreement that can help you establish the rules your teen will follow and set clear expectations and boundaries for them. Print out this agreement and review it with your young driver. Establish consequences for the times when they violated the agreement and keep it updated as your teen driver’s skills and responsibilities evolve.

If you or your teen has been injured in an auto accident caused by a teen driver, please contact an auto accident lawyer at Banks and Jones in Knoxville for more information.