Teens in Jonesboro, Paragould, Craighead County, Lawrence County, Greene County, and surrounding areas are often very excited to get a driver's license for the first time. A license represents independence and the freedom to go where they want without depending upon a parent or a friend for a ride. For parents, however, a new license for a teen represents a time to worry about the risks of motor vehicle crashes.
This risk is not unfounded. A personal injury lawyer knows that motor vehicle collisions are a leading cause of death among teenagers. As Drive Steady reports, young drivers have the greatest chance of getting into a fatal crash within six months of getting their driver's license and teens are 10 times as likely as other drivers to become involved in a car crash during their first year of driving.
There are a lot of risk factors that make teens more likely than other motorists to get into a collision. Surprisingly, alcohol and drugs are not necessarily the biggest issues affecting young motorists. Instead, some of the top reasons why young people get into crashes include an inability to effectively detect hazards and assess risk. Overconfidence and lack of skills are also big issues. While this is a problem all the time, it can become an especially high risk situation when a young person enters his or her very first winter driving season and is suddenly expected to deal with ice or snow. With an average January low of below 30 degrees and with an average of six inches of snow fall per year, kids in Jonesboro may find themselves coping with ice, sleet, snow and storms for several months over the course of the year.
Teaching Kids to Drive Safety In the Snow or Ice
Teens may not be aware of how much more dangerous it is to drive in bad weather and they may not have the skills to deal with slippery roads. Their overconfidence in their abilities may lead them to make dangerous choices, especially if they underestimate the risks of the weather.
Parents who hope to mitigate the dangers associated with driving in the icy winter months need to ensure that they are doing everything they can to prepare their sons or daughters for winter driving. The Brand Connection has a comprehensive guide to teaching teens to drive in the snow during their first winter season.
Parents should:
- Take their teens out to a large parking lot in order to practice driving when there is ice on the roads. In the parking lot, you can teach your kids to learn how to handle a slide while driving and about how to brake safely when the roads are wet.
Try to restrict the amount of driving that kids do when the weather is bad. While this is not always practical, it is a good idea to have kids wait until the plows have cleared the roads before driving. - Consider having your teen enrolled in a special school designed to teach winter driving techniques.
- If you are teaching your children yourself, some safety tips to pass along include always turning headlights on to make you more visible to others; not using cruise control when the weather is bad; looking out for "black ice" and never passing snow plows. Teens need to learn these important tips and should practice driving with their parents in the car several times before going out on their own into the snow for the first time.
If you were injured or a loved one died in an accident, a Jonesboro personal injury lawyer can fight to protect your rights. Contact the McDaniel Law Firm at 1-855-524-4744. Serving Northeast Arkansas including Jonesboro, Paragould, Craighead County, Lawrence County, Greene County, Mississippi County, Poinsett County and surrounding areas.