Since we have a farly long article that has information we really wish to share with our readers, your June newsletter will come to you in two parts. Here is Part One...
Summer is a Killer
Summer is here again. Usually this time of year we try to remind you about the need to take care of your car; this year we are taking a different focus. 
Auto accidents are the leading cause of death for young adults and teenagers. More than 5000 of our youth, ages 16 to 19, die each year in automobile accidents. That is more than all of the loses in Iraq. There are over 400,000 serious injuries each year that main or disfigure our children.
For many parents the unstructured summer months lead to tragedy. Teenagers drive about 40% more over the summer, and unfortunately this is the time of year that sees a sharp spike in teenage accidents.
There is no way that we can keep our kids completely safe, but there are some things we can do to at least limit the exposure they have to unnecessary risk. Statistics show some common contributing factors to teen accidents and by eliminating those we can greatly improve our child’s chance of survival.
Distractions, such as cell phones, whether talking or texting, are a major cause of driver inattention and accidents. Forbid your teen from using their cell phone in the car! All modern phones have a call history page and you should look once in a while to see if they call during times you know they should be driving. If they fuss about your probing remind them who pays the phone bill. There are several pilot programs now testing cell phones that will not work (other than 911) if the GPS inside it detects motion of more than 10 mph.
Elaborate stereo systems are also a distraction as the driver plays with them when their eyes should be on the road.
Speed is a killer! More than 60% of all teenage accidents involve excessive speed. There is not a lot you can do about your kid racing down the highway unless you are willing to invade his or her “privacy”. There are several devices on the market that will allow you to track your kid’s car with or without them knowing about it. Simple GPS tracking devices are about $200 and can plot the route your darling took, report real time position and some even calculate average speed over a specific time period. There are also devices that will monitor the car’s performance, recording 24 or more hours of speed, rpm, braking, and running time. You can download these onto your home computer and graph the last day of teen activity.
The CarChip Pro is an all-in-one engine performance and driving monitor. About the size of a key fob, it's a great way to keep track of your vehicle, and your or others' driving.
Monitor and track your teen driver with MobileTEEN GPS™ real-time feedback.
http://www.mobileteengps.com/
Do we want to be this intrusive in our children’s life? If you have a friend or neighbor who has lost a child to a car accident you may not have much hesitation about closer monitoring of your car. In most cases it is your car, not theirs, and you have the right to monitor it. If they don’t like it they can walk or take the school bus.
Peer pressure often has a negative effect on people, and our kids are especially susceptible to it. It is a natural reaction for a young driver to want to show off for his buddies. Guys are much more inclined to this temptation than the girls. The chances of an accident increases almost exponentially with each additional kid in the car. The combination of conversation, music, and the need to prove what a good driver they are fosters accidents.
There is an exception. Generally guys drive more carefully when the only passenger is a girlfriend. If there is another couple in the car they revert back to the show off mode.
Seat belts save lives and despite all of the education about this and the example we set teenagers still have the worst record of seat belt usage of any group. The driver will often buckle up, but allow passengers to ride unrestrained, especially rear seat passengers. Often they think the air bag will save them from injury. An unbelted passenger will slide under the air bag in a front end collison, crushing the legs and lower body. An air bag will do nothing to prevent ejection from the car if it spins hard or rolls over.
Night-time driving is the most dangerous. The hours between 9PM and midnight are when most teen fatalities take place. The reduced visibility combined with the other things mentioned above tests the inexperience of young drivers.
Alcohol is fatal. If your teen is drinking DO NOT let them drive! Period! The average high school drinker starts at 15.9 years old. 28% of high school students admit to having ridden in a car with a driver who had been drinking and 9.9% admitted to driving while drinking themselves. 40.3% of high school age kids drink at least one a month!
Combined with all of the other disadvantages faced by young drivers alcohol tips the scale in favor of disaster. Alcohol and speed account for almost 75% of all teenage vehicle deaths!
Even if your precious darling doesn’t get in an accident, but just gets caught driving while drinking you will be facing financial carnage. The average DUI case will cost over $10,000, require special classes, probation, special insurance and loss of license. It will follow you as long as they are on your insurance and them for life.
Defensive driving saves lives. Young drivers don’t understand that there are many stupid and unsafe operators on the road. They expect everyone to pay attention, maintain control of their vehicle and obey all the rules. It is a shock when someone runs a stop sign in front of them, veers into their lane or makes a turn across their bow. They learn soon, but often not soon enough.
What can we do? First we have to set firm guide lines for our kids with specific penalties if they violate the rules. The penalty can be loss of driving privileges for a period of time depending on the severity of the offense and if it a repeated transgression. It could be loss of the cell phone or car for a month if they are caught talking while driving and loss of both the second time around. For alcohol and drugs it has to be a zero tolerance policy, any drinking and they lose the car.
We need to check their car regularly. Look around under the seats and in the glove box. Look for pop tops, beer bottle caps, funny cigarette butts and unusual smells. Check the mileage often to be sure they are not driving a lot more than you think they are. Look for unexplained damage to the car, particularly under the car.
We need to talk to the parent of their friends and share information with them that may save both families from grief. You know that your kids tell stories around your house about their friends; their friends do the same. You might be surprised what they have told their parents about your little Johnny. If you have heard that one of your youngster’s friends drinks and drives you have a moral obligation to tell their parents.
Consider investing in a defensive driving school, one that teaches lids how to handle a car in adverse circumstances. The cost of the class would probably be less than your deductible for one mishap.
When they come home at night hug their neck. Thank God they are safe, let them know you love them and smell their breath while you are there.
We have to check up on our kids. We all want to believe that our boys and girls are not like the ones we hear about, the ones who lie to their parents, sneak around, and are generally a bad influence on everyone they hang out with. Not our kids! If we are misguided in our faith we can attend their funeral wondering where we went wrong
Finally, set a good example. Use your seat belt, refrain from cell phone use on the highway, don’t speed (well not much anyway) don’t act out anger on the road, and above all don’t drink and drive.
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Freedom Automotive Services. Inc. 13403 Murphy Road . Stafford, Texas 77477 Ph: 281-499-4797 . Fax: 281-261-4824 . www.freedomauto.com SPECIAL NEWSLETTER COUPON OFFER | |
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