Top Ten Bad Driving Habits By Teens
March 9, 2014
When teens first start learning to drive, they are usually very careful and willing to listen to advice but, once they get their operator’s license and start driving on their own, some seem to think that all the rules and safe driving advice were just for the driving exam and no longer apply to them. That attitude quickly turns to tragedy for some with an average of six teens killed and 493 injured in traffic crashes every day. More than half of all teen crashes are single vehicle crashes, meaning that, due to high speed or distractions, the teen ran off the road and crashed; no other cars were involved.
The following list of bad teen driving habits isn’t in any particular order. One could be just as bad as another but separately or combined, they are all dangerous.
1. Driving distracted – One of the biggest hazards on the road today is distracted driving. We’ve all heard about the dangers of texting and cell phone use but there are other distractions as well, such as;
- Paying more attention to passengers than to the road ahead.
- Eating and drinking
- Loud music
- Applying makeup
- Looking at things out the window instead of at the road.
- Adjusting the radio or loading CDs
All of these distractions can take your eyes off the road just long enough for a dangerous problem to creep up unnoticed. Continue Reading
Marijuana May Hurt Developing Teen Brains
March 9, 2014
The teen years are important for developing teen brains. Studies show IQ points and cognitive skills are lower for adults who used marijuana as a teen. Read more: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/02/25/282631913/marijuana-may-hurt-the-developing-teen-brain
Energy Drink Related Emergency Room Visits Double
March 9, 2014
According to a report released in January 2013 by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, emergency room visits related to the use of so called energy drinks doubled from 10,068 visits in 2007 to 20,783 visits in 2011.
We were among the first to write about the issue of energy drinks and their effect on health and driving back in 2009 and have published several articles since but the warning bears repeating.
Energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine and sugar and are marketed mostly toward young people as a way to gain energy, stay awake, or lose weight. Energy drinks are unregulated and there are really no limits on how much caffeine can be added to a drink. Continue Reading
Teen Star Pleads To DUI Charge
February 26, 2014
Even though she refused to take a sobriety test, former Nickelodeon star Amanda Bynes was still charged with DUI after sideswiping a patrol car in 2012. As part of a plea agreement, she was sentenced by a California court. Read more: Amanda Bynes: Plea Deal in 2012 Drunk Driving Case
“Selfies” While Driving Are Dangerous
February 26, 2014
With all the discussion about cell phones and texting while driving, we should also talk about the new phenomenon of “selfies.” Selfies are the act of taking self-portraits with cell phones and they are cropping up everywhere. One has only to look at a young person’s Facebook page to see a selfie or two. Selfies of celebrities and politicians are also showing up on Twitter and in newspapers.
Taking a selfie while driving though can be extremely dangerous. Taking a selfie requires that you look at the camera (and not the road) and wait while the camera focuses and snaps the picture. Just the act of setting up the camera on a smart phone to take the picture can take time and distract a driver long enough to lead to a collision.
It’s important to remember how much distance is covered while posing for a selfie. At 45 mph, a car will travel more than 66 feet per second. For a driver looking at the camera and taking a picture, those two to three seconds mean that the vehicle has traveled from 132 to 198 feet. That’s two-thirds the distance of a football field. A lot can happen in that distance and a driver’s attention needs to be on the road ahead.
Along with selfies, taking videos of passengers or objects outside the window can be just as distracting. In a video making the rounds on social media, a mother videoing the actions of her kids in the back seat almost turned a precious moment with her children into a tragedy. The video can be seen at: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=60d_1392830284
Warning! There’s a little bit of foul language in the video.