After School is a Dangerous Time for Teens

Many parents are concerned to have their teen drivers head out on the road at night.  And rightfully so!  Driving at night is a very dangerous time for teens.

But, a recent study shows that the time right after school is also a very high risk time for teen drivers.  A study by AAA indicates that weekday afternoon driving is almost as dangerous for teens as night driving. The researchers studied the number of fatal crashes involving teens between 2002 and 2005.

 

They found that 16 and 17 years olds were involved in almost as many fatal crashes between 3 and 5 pm on weekdays, as they were on Friday and Saturday nights between 9 pm and 2 am. There were 1100 weekday fatal accidents and 1237 weekend evening fatal accidents.

What causes the high number of crashes after school lets out?

-Distractions.  There are a lot of distractions after school, ranging from packed parking lots, other kids walking to their car or to the bus, school buses pulling up and leaving – not to mention friends with whom to review the day or make plans for the next.  And – did we mention cell phones, ipods, radio stations and soda cans?

- Inexperience.  Correctly evaluating and navigating the busy surroundings while navigating a car doesn’t come without practice.  It’s easy to get overwhelmed by everything that’s going on!

 

- Additional causes likely include the typical “afternoon low” that hit right around the time school lets out, the beginning of rush hour, and the hurry to get home or to the next appointment.

In these dark, dreary days of winter, many teen drivers deal with both factors:  Decreased visibility caused by weather and early darkness as well as treacherous road conditions, combined with the “after-school-stress” make for a dangerous combination.

Please talk with your teen driver about these issues, and help increase their awareness for what’s going on during this busy time of day.   You can help them avoid accidents by starting with three simple rules:

- Aim to get to school 5-10 minutes early, and wait 5-10  minutes before leaving, to allow for the “rush hour” to pass.

- Enforce the “No eating, no drinking, no cell phone while in the car” rule

- No passenger in the car for the first six months, and not more than one passenger during the first year.