Keck Insurance Agency News

Protect Your Teens When They Drive

August 12, 2008 11:05:42 AM

Parents have always been concerned about their teenagers driving on the weekend, especially at night. However, a new study reveals that after school hours can be as deadly for teenage drivers as weekend nights. The researchers advise parents that they need to be just as vigilant about monitoring their teens’ driving on weekday afternoons as they are on weekend nights.
The researchers studied the number of fatal crashes involving teenage drivers between 2002 and 2005. What they discovered is that almost as many 16 and 17-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday as were on Friday and Saturday nights between 9:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. There were 1,100 weekday crashes and 1,237 weekend crashes.

To combat this growing problem, we recommend that parents do the following:

-Establish specific driving rules with your teen.
-Don’t permit your teen to ride with a new teen driver. Research shows that it is more dangerous for several teens to ride in one car than for them to drive individually.
-Ban cell phone usage while driving, which includes texting and hands-free devices. (Remember that this is the law for all drivers under 18.)
-Require your teen to wear a seat belt every time s/he rides in a car. Teens have the lowest belt usage rate of any age group, even though new teen drivers have the highest crash rates.

Just some friendly advice from your “One Stop Insurance Shop,” Keck Insurance Agency. Please call us and see if we can help you save on your teen auto insurance rates.

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