It should come as no surprise that the leading cause of death for teenagers is motor vehicle accidents. The major contributor to their deaths and injuries? Failing to wear a seat belt.
Studies show that teenagers are less likely to wear seat belts than older drivers and passengers. This decision is often deadly, as according to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System over 66% of teenage occupants killed in motor vehicle accidents were not wearing safety belts.
There are several theories for why teenagers have a lower rate of seat belt usage than older drivers and passengers, and why they are involved in more motor vehicle crashes, including:
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Lack of general driving experience, which results in not knowing how to react to unexpected circumstances or in emergency situations
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Greater likelihood to engage in risky behavior while driving due to lack of emotional maturity
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Craving a sense of excitement and adventure through dangerous driving
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Peer pressure
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Parental permissiveness or rebellion against strictness
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Greater likelihood of being easily distracted behind the wheel
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration came up with several ways of increasing the possibility of teenagers seat belt use:
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Enacting laws allowing police officers to ticket drivers who are not wearing seat belts
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Highly visible marketing of police enforcement of seat belt laws
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Increasing fines, sanctions and points on the driver’s license for seat belt infractions
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Insurance reductions and other incentives for wearing seat belts
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Guidelines for the number of passengers in a teenage driver’s car and curfews against driving at night
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Vehicle instruments that prevent engines from starting if seat belt is off
It’s never too late to start driving responsibly. If the proper precautions are taken, you can better protect your teenager from harm.
