Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

May celebrates Global Youth Traffic Safety Month. National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) sponsors this important event. During May and Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, help spread awareness. Make the summer safe. Explain to drivers to put away their phone when they drive. In addition, buckle up, choose the safest route available, and drive only with those whom they feel safe. And, never get into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking. The awareness ribbon for road safety is the Road awareness pin, which is available on this site. This pin can be engraved with a name, date or message. Or you may order the non-personalized pin that features lanes of a road as a reminder to drive safely.

Parents Play a Critical Role in Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

Traffic crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for teens, with nearly 2,500 young people killed every year.  Mile for mile, teens are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  An average of eight teens die every day in traffic crashes throughout the U.S.

There are several simple things parents can do to help ensure their teens become safe drivers. For example, talk to teens about the dangers of drug and alcohol use, especially as they drive. Remind them that it is illegal to drink under the age of 21, and it is illegal, and deadly, to drink and drive at any age. In addition, talk about the dangers of speeding, which is a factor in 26 percent of fatal crashes.

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Laws

Learn about your state’s graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws.  GDL restrictions vary from state to state, so familiarizing yourself with the restrictions placed on your teen’s license can help you enforce those laws. Parents should use the GDL laws to establish important ground rules for their teen drivers. These include things such as restricting night driving and passengers. And, prohibiting driving while using the phone or other electronic devices. Most importantly, require seat belt use at all times.

Don’t rely solely on driver’s education classes to teach teens to drive. Driver’s education is part of a GDL system. Most states requires teens to have 30 or more hours of behind the wheel practice with a parent or other adult in order to qualify for a driver’s license.

And finally, be a good role model. Your child looks to you as an example of how to drive, so practice safe driving yourself.  Remember that your teen’s learning starts at home long before he or she applies for a learner’s permit, watching the way you drive every day and learning from your driving behavior. If they’ve grown up watching parents speed, roll through stop signs and drive while using phones, they are more likely to become dangerous drivers themselves.

Teens Play a Critical Role in Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

Teens can play a role in traveling safely by speaking up when in a vehicle being driven dangerously. It’s important to have the courage to intervene. Don’t worry about being called a backseat driver. When you care about yourself and the driver, calling out risky driving behavior is the right thing to do.

The National Road Safety Foundation has a free resource called The Passport to Safe Driving, which can be a valuable tool for new drivers, parents, teachers, and other adults. It discusses a number of driving skills, with tips for adults to have a discussion with their teens.