With all the hype and awareness going on about teen texting and driving, we forgot all about speeding.
This is arguable even more critical than distracted driving. Movies such as Fast & Furious 1 through 6 and now 7, make speeding and drag racing appear to be very cool and really tempting. Meanwhile, fatal teen crashes are ticking up from 30% to 33% for 2011. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) found that from 2000 through 2011, there were 19,447 speed-related crashes involving teen drivers. This is half of all fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers with three or more passengers are speeding-related. Among the most common scenarios are young males driving at night with other teen passengers. Studies also show that the deadliest days of the year for teens on the road occur during the summer months of June, July and August.
With these figures, speeding needs to be recognized as a dangerous behavior as much as alcohol-impaired driving on the federal, state and local levels. Such as curfews that regulate night time driving to a minimum. Parents should also take the lead to do more to address speeding behavior by talking with their teenagers about the risks and the liability involved. The report goes on to recommend that when a teen first has a license, if they are the primary owner of a vehicle, they are more likely to speed than in the family sedan. This is suggesting that parents shouldn’t buy their teen that car right away. When it is time to purchase a car, choose a larger and newer car than a sportier one. Finally, teens that are monitored closely tend to speed less and drive more safely. Consider purchasing a phone app that will monitor your teen’s driving and whereabouts. Here is an article “The parent app: Tracking teens while they drive.” that has recommendations on apps that are good monitoring tools.
In the meantime, take the time to talk to your teen about the risks AND make sure they have the correct coverage on their insurance. Liability is a risk to you as a parent when you’re teen gets into an accident. So make sure YOU are covered.
Here at Donald J. Medeiros Insurance Agency our goal is to try to help our viewers by suggesting solutions for all insurance needs. By no means can we address each reader’s specific concerns in every incident. So, we strongly advise to check with an insurance representative to address your specific needs. However, you can also contact us for any questions or concerns and we will be happy to help you. We are able to offer a complete line of personal & commercial insurance products for all of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
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