Category Archive: Parents

Allstate Launches New AppTo Monitor Teen Driving Behaviors

June 6, 2014

Allstate Insurance has launched a new smartphone app for its customers to “identify and teach safe driving behaviors” in teen drivers. The app, called “Star Driver” is different from most teen driver monitoring system in that it used the smartphone rather than a plug-in module for the vehicle. This app follows the previously released app, “Drivewise” that all Allstate customers can use to receive feedback on safe driving behaviors and “earn rewards”. Read more: Allstate Launches Star Driver® to Help Protect Young Drivers

Photo compliments Allstate Insurance

Summer Months Are Most Dangerous For Teen Drivers

June 6, 2014

Now that the summer is here, it’s important to remember the dangers faced by teen drivers during the summer months. Traffic fatality statistics have long shown that the death rate for teens rises significantly for teen drivers and their passengers during the summer months. Twenty nine percent of all the teen drivers age 15 to 20 who were killed in traffic collisions in 2012 were killed during the months of June, July, and August. Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the most dangerous time for teen drivers.

With up to three months of largely free, unsupervised time on their hands, teens have many more chances to get into trouble while driving.

Parents can be pro-active in preventing their child from becoming a summertime driving statistic in a number of ways:

If this is your teen’s first summer with an operator’s license, consider limiting their driving time.
Set consistent curfews and enforce them.
Limit the number of passengers your teen can carry.
Prevent your teen from riding as a passenger of a teen driver with more than one other passenger.
Ban not only texting but any type of cell phone use while driving; they must pull over and stop to use a cell phone.
Ensure that your teen gets plenty of sleep.
Give the teens chores or suggest a summer job to keep them busy and off the road.

To help ensure that your rules are followed, negotiate a “teen driving contract” with your teen. Make sure that the rules are clear and the consequences for breaking them are well understood.

Disturbing New Study On Teen Driving Behavior

June 5, 2014

Safe Kids Worldwide an organization devoted to child safety along with the General Motors Foundation recently released a survey on teen driving behavior. In talking with 1,000 teens, they discovered, among other things that:

One in four teens don’t wear seat belts.
Teens who don’t wear seat belts are more likely to say that they text while driving than those who do.
Thirty-nine percent of teens say they have ridden with a teen driver who was texting.
More than half have ridden in a car with a parent who was using a cellphone.
Forty-nine percent of teens feel unsafe when riding with a teen driver.

Don’t Let Graduation Night Be The Last Night

May 15, 2014

It’s graduation season and a lot of young people will be celebrating a significant milestone in their lives but for some, that celebration could be their last. The risk of being involved in a serious crash is high on graduation night for a lot of reasons;

Emotions are high – Strong emotions, even happy ones, can be distracting to a driver and lead to poor choices.
A sense of freedom – Sometimes young people feel that first step into adulthood means the old rules no longer apply.
Passengers are distracting – A car full of emotionally charged celebrating teens can be very distracting to a driver.
Fatigue – The emotions of the event may cause a lack of sleep and plans to celebrate all night could result in falling asleep at the wheel at the end of the night.
Drinking – Many teens will include alcohol and other drugs in their celebration plans.

What can be done to keep the graduate safe?

Set firm rules for the night – While he/she is now a graduate, while living in under your roof, certain rules still apply.
One Passenger only – Allow no more than one passenger per car to reduce the distractions. Splurge on the gas; it’s a special event.
Know the plan – Know what the plans are for the evening and check in with the teen from time to time to make sure everything is OK.
Get a chauffeur – Hire a limo for your teen or have a slightly older sibling, cousin, friend, etc. who isn’t tied up with the emotions of the event to act as a chauffeur.
Host a party – Hosting your own graduation party will allow you to monitor the graduate’s activities. You can even provide a place for tired teens to crash for the night.
Coordinate with other parents – Contact parents of other graduates to find out what their plans are for the evening; agree on rules and guidelines.

Students Who Wouldn’t Drive Drunk Don’t Mind Driving Stoned

May 14, 2014

A recent survey conducted by two Washington State universities and published in JAMA Pediatrics reveals some disturbing information on teens when it comes to driving stoned. While far fewer would drive drunk or ride in a car with a drunk driver, the survey shows that at least 44% of males and 9% of females reported driving after using marijuana and over 51 percent of males and nearly 35 percent of females reported getting in a car with a driver who was high on marijuana. Read more: College Freshmen Drive and Get in Cars with Drivers After Marijuana Use