Car Crashes Are #1 Cause of Death for Oklahoma Teens

Oct. 12, 2016 – Twenty-one percent more Oklahoma teens were involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes in 2015 than in 2014, a sobering statistic to consider, AAA says, on the eve of National Teen Driver Safety Week, Oct. 16-22. The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office also says the number of drivers age 16 to 19 involved in motor vehicle crashes in 2015 in the state – 13,683 – is 8.5 percent more than the 12,611 teens involved in crashes the year before.
 
“We know Oklahoma’s graduated driver licensing law and the recent ban on texting by all drivers are having positive impacts on teen crash rates but clearly more needs to be done,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. “AAA believes parents are the key. We need to get more involved in our teens’ driving lives by teaching safety behind the wheel, setting boundaries and being good role models.”

In Oklahoma and nationwide, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens.

According to a new AAA survey, Skills of Novice Teen Drivers, 142 driving instructors said speeding is one of the top three mistakes teens make when learning to drive. The other two are:

·       Distraction: Interacting with a cell phone, talking with passengers or looking at other objects in the vehicle.

·       Poor Visual Scanning: Driving with tunnel vision and not properly scanning the road for risks or hazards.

“Nearly two-thirds of people injured or killed in a crash involving a teen driver are people other than the teen,” said Mai. “Over the past five years, teen drivers have been involved in nearly 14,000 fatal crashes nationwide. Families are being forever changed as a result of a moment of inattention or a poor choice made by a teen driver.”

In addition to revealing that parents today are worse at preparing their teens to drive than they were 10 years ago, driving instructors report that parents often set bad examples through their own behaviors. A recent survey from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that drivers aged 35-55 commonly report doing dangerous things when behind the wheel.

•       77 percent of drivers aged 35-55 reported talking on a cell phone while driving, compared to 68 percent of teen drivers.

•       A similar proportion of teens and drivers aged 35-55 reported often driving 15 mph over the speed limit on a divided highway, 45 percent and 46 percent, respectively.

 
AAA recommends parents stay actively involved in coaching their teens through the learning-to-drive process by:

·       Having conversations early and regularly about the dangers of speeding and distraction.

·       Taking the time to practice driving with their teens in varying conditions.

·       Adopting and enforcing a parent-teen driving agreement that sets family rules for the road.

·       Leading by example and minimizing distractions and speeding when they are driving.

 
It’s important that parents enroll new teen drivers in a driver education program, such as AAA Oklahoma’s state-certified “Take the Wheel,” a parent-taught driver ed. course that qualifies as driver’s ed. under the state’s graduated driver licensing law and also entitles teens to standard driver’s ed. discounts on auto insurance. Visit AAA.com/TakeTheWheel. More resources to help parents coach their teens through the learning-to-drive process can be found on AAA’s popular website TeenDriving.AAA.com.

A not-for-profit, fully tax-paying organization, AAA Oklahoma provides its nearly 400,000 Oklahoma members with emergency roadside assistance and auto travel services. Plus, the auto club offers members and the general public a wide range of personal insurance, worldwide travel and financial services at branch offices across Oklahoma and online at AAA.com. Motorists can map a route, identify gas prices, find discounts, book a hotel and access AAA roadside assistance with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Learn more at AAA.com/mobile.