New York teenagers are always excited to get their driver’s licenses. Although they’re anxious to hit the road on their own, as a parent, it’s natural for you to worry. This is understandable as teens face certain risks behind the wheel.
Their lack of experience
Teens are inexperienced behind the wheel, so they might not know how to react in certain situations like older drivers. This puts them at a much higher risk of an accident. This could happen even if they aced their road test.
Distractions
Distracted driving is a big problem for everyone, but teens are particularly susceptible to the dangerous habit. They’re more likely to pick up their cell phone to check and compose texts, take selfies and post on social media sites. Even worse, they might try to engage in certain social media challenges while driving, which can lead to a serious crash.
Teen passengers
When teens go out driving, they are more likely to pick up their friends and have a time out together. Unfortunately, having teen passengers in the vehicle is one of the biggest risks to teen drivers. Things can get loud and boisterous and there is often that invincible mentality that leads kids to take more risks.
Speeding
Going with the sense of invincibility teens have, they are less likely to find speeding a problem while driving. However, speeding is a huge problem that can cause a deadly car crash. Coupled with their inexperience, if a teen driver travels at excessive speeds, they can easily lose control of the vehicle.
Nighttime driving
Driving at night is another big risk teen drivers face. It’s more difficult to see after dark, so they might not notice something in the road that could cause a car accident. Or the teen driver might not see a pedestrian in the street or fail to anticipate another vehicle approaching them from a different area at an intersection.
Teen drivers need to be as careful and responsible as possible. Parents should instill these traits in their kids to keep them safer.