Tag Archive: Teen drivers
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
Teen Drivers Face Many Dangers; Parental Involvement Key To Safe Driving
May 6, 2014
The statistics don’t look good for teen drivers and parental involvement to reduce the rate of teen crashes is more important than ever. Teens are involved in more crashes per mile driven than any other age group and are involved in seven times as many crashes per mile driven than drivers in their 40’s, 50’s, or 60’s. With prom and graduation season approaching, New Canaan CT Police Chief, Leon Krolikowski, writes about the dangers faced by teen drivers and the need for parental involvement to keep teen drivers safe behind the wheel. Read more: Good time of year to remind teens why it’s worth driving safely
Combined Alcohol-Marijuana Use More Dangerous Than Either Alone
May 1, 2014
In one of those studies that should seem to be a no-brainer, researchers have found that the combined use of alcohol and marijuana is more dangerous for teen drivers than the use of either of the drugs alone. Teens who combine the two drugs get more traffic tickets and are involved in crashes at a higher rate than users of just marijuana or alcohol.
With the push to legalize marijuana throughout the country, teens may be getting the false message that marijuana is a harmless drug. They need to be reminded that, even though it may be legal in some states, it is still illegal to drive while under the effects of the drug. Combining marijuana and alcohol means adding one depressant to another and leads to a synergistic effect where the effects of the two drugs are combined are more powerful.
Loud And Rowdy Passenger Behavior Most Dangerous For Newly Licensed Drivers
April 24, 2014
A newly released study in the Journal of Adolescent Health points to loud teen passengers as one of the most dangerous factors leading to crashes among newly licensed teen drivers. The study, conducted by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, used video cameras to record driving situations allowing them to measure distracting events more reliably. Unlike events that the driver can control, such as texting and phone use, the loud and rowdy behavior of passengers is an uncontrollable factor that can be an even greater distraction for new teen drivers. Read more: New Study Identifies Loud Conversations Among Passengers as the Most Likely Distraction for Newly Licensed Adolescent Drivers
Study: Parents Don’t Devote Enough Time To Driving Instruction
April 18, 2014
One of the major problems with the US system of training teens to drive is that parents don’t have the training they need to properly train their teens to drive. While driving may be second nature to parents, it’s all new to the teen and with the teen at the wheel, parents miss out on a lot of “teachable moments.”
Researchers at the Highway Safety Research Centre at the University of North Carolina installed video cameras to see how much time parents actually devoted to driving instructions when teaching their teens to drive. The videos showed that parents spend more time on rudimentary vehicle handling techniques and not enough time on “higher order” techniques that will teach the teen to anticipate and plan for possible hazards ahead. Read more: Parents’ driving instruction often superficial