Articles Posted in Injuries to Children & Minors

Parents need to become more involved in talking to teenagers about the role poor driving decisions play in their risk of being involved in a serious or fatal Chicago car accident, according to a new study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The New York Times was among the first media outlets to report on the new study as soon as it was released Tuesday — National Teen Driver Safety Week is next week as safety advocates preach the message in advance of the upcoming homecoming and holiday seasons.

Our Chicago accident attorneys frequently report the dangers teenagers face behind the wheel. Car accidents are the number one cause of death for teens ages 15 to 19, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Name a poor driving habit and teens are the worst offenders: Drunk driving, failure to wear seat belts, text messaging while driving, distracted driving, speeding, and riding with too many passengers in the vehicle.The new study found that parents are not giving their teenagers enough experience behind the wheel, particularly in challenging situations like heavy traffic, night driving or bad weather. Illinois’ graduated driver’s licensing program is a national leader — and the extra training helps. But it is no substitute for time behind the wheel with a parent.

Nearly half of all parents who participated in the study reported that, even after their teen spent a year in the learner’s stage, there was at least one driving condition with which a parent was not comfortable with their child’s skills. Still, more than one-third of all parents allowed their child to get their driver’s license within a month of being eligible.

The study — which used video cameras and is among the first to look at the interaction of parent and child during the driver’s education process — found that parents were most likely to give instruction on the handling of the vehicle (like speed) and least likely to convey other important driving instructions, such as defensive driving techniques like anticipating the actions of another motorist.

This gap was so pronounced — more than half of all instructive comments (54 percent) involved vehicle handling, while less than 5 percent dealt with visual scanning or other defensive driving techniques — that it was among the study’s most surprising findings.

The study also revealed that the amount of time parents spend practicing with teenagers varied greatly — and only 1 in 4 parents mentioned the need to accompany their teenager for practice in a variety of driving conditions.

“One of the best things parents can do to reduce the risk is to spend as much time as possible with their children to provide guidance driving in a variety of situations so they can gain experience and competence,” said Peter Kissinger, the AAA Foundation’s chief executive. “If they do, it will have a significant impact on the teenager’s later driving experience.”
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With the school year beginning, state officials are launching the 4th Annual Teen Safe Driving Program in an effort to reduce Chicago car accidents and traffic accidents involving teenagers elsewhere in Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined state officials on Friday in launching the program, which has become a model for other states seeking to reduce the risks associated with poor teen driving decisions.”In 2008, teens formed the largest proportion of distracted drivers in fatal crashes,” said Secretary LaHood. “Texting and talking on cell phones may feel like second nature to a tech-savvy generation, but the truth is, no one can talk or text while driving safely. I commend these young leaders and Operation Teen Safe Driving for helping to keep teens drivers safe.”

As we reported recently on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, officials are urging teens to submit a public service announcement aimed at the dangers of texting and driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 6,000 drivers are killed and more than 500,000 are injured each year in accidents caused by distracted driving.

Operation Teen Safe Driving is a statewide initiative sponsored by Ford Motor Company. It encourages teens to share safe-driving skills with their friends. The program has reached more than a quarter million students in the last three years.

Together with the state’s Graduated Driver Licensing Program, the state has reduced teen fatalities by about 50 percent, according to the Illinois State Police.

“We are proud to launch the fourth year of the Operation Teen Safe Driving Program with the nation’s most prominent traffic safety advocate, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig. “The Operation Teen Safe Driving (OTSD) Program has produced exemplary results across the state as it has helped cut teen fatalities by nearly half since 2006. IDOT is committed to teen safe driving and looks forward to a continued positive impact by this program.”

Any Illinois high school, public or private, is invited to apply. Students are asked to identify major traffic safety issues involving teenagers in their communities and to make creative proposals to help solve those problems.

Here is the online application for Operation Teen Safe Driving.
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Most teen drivers are engaging in distracted-driving behavior despite knowing better, according to the result of a new study published by USAToday.

As our Chicago injury attorneys frequently report, teens are at high risk when it comes to being involved in a serious or fatal car accident in Chicago or the surrounding area.Illinois has banned text messaging by all drivers and it is illegal for drivers to use hand-held cell phones within the City of Chicago. Other states have not been so proactive in reducing the risk of distracted driving accidents. Twelve states have adopted no rules at all when it comes to the use of cell phones by drivers: Florida, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico and Hawaii.

In any event, teens appear to understand the dangers. But whether they are listening is a different story. The recent survey by Seventeen Magazine found that nearly 90 percent of young drivers engaged in risky behavior, including text messaging or talking on a cell phone while driving, despite knowing the risks.

“Teens do continue to drive distracted even when they recognize the dangers,” says William Van Tassel, manager of AAA’s driver training programs. “Driving is the first real adult responsibility, but let’s face it, they’re still teens whose brains aren’t fully developed.”

A total of 1,999 teens ages 16 to 19 were surveyed. Eighty-four percent said they were aware that distracted driving increased their risk of an accident. However, 86 percent admitted to risky behavior, including talking on the phone, texting, applying makeup, eating, using in-car electronics or riding with four or more passengers.

Other study findings include:

-Drivers 16 and 17 were less likely to be distracted than those ages 18 and 19.

-Teens who had their own vehicle were more likely to drive distracted than those who had to share a vehicle.

-Reasons for using a mobile device while driving included: Didn’t think they would get hurt (35 percent); made driving less boring (22 percent); and felt the need to stay connected (21 percent).

Safe Teen Driving Tips in Illinois are available here.
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