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Car crashes leading cause of death among teenagers

(Chronicle Herald) A 16-year-old boy is dead after a head-on crash on Highway 107 near East Chezzetcook around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The boy, who was from Musquodoboit Harbour, lost control of his Toyota Corolla and a collided with a sport utility vehicle (SUV). RCMP have not released the name of the boy but sources say his name was Tomas Campbell. He was a student at Eastern Shore District High School. The driver of the SUV was a 40-year-old man from East Chezzetcook. He was brought to Musquodoboit Valley Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and has since been released. The cause of the crash is unknown and police are still investigating.

1.

Parents can help prevent teen driver car crashes

Your Social Worker
Car crashes that involve a teen driver are the leading cause of permanent injury and death in teenagers. In the United States, more than 5,000 teens die each year in motor vehicle crashes and another 400,000 suffer injuries. Canada, along with most industrialized nations, has similar numbers. Parents are much more experienced behind the wheel and therefore should talk to their teens about the dangers of driving. Some things that parents can do to reduce risk are: restrict the number of passengers in the vehicle, insist that all passengers fasten their seatbelt and discuss an acceptable volume for the radio. The average age when car crashes among teens start to decline is 25.

2.

What to do after a car accident

Teens Health
Because car crashes are so common among teenagers, it is important to know what to do immediately following an accident. Teens Health provides important tips: take some deep breaths to calm down as a wide range of emotions is normal after a crash, keep yourself and others safe, report the incident, take down driver information, take notes on the crash if it is minor and you are able to do so. If you and/or other passengers in the vehicle are severely injured, wait for help to arrive.

3.

Injury prevention and control: motor vehicle safety

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Young adults aged 15-24 account for just 14 per cent of the U.S. population. However, they account for 30 per cent ($19 billion) of the costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28 per cent ($7 billion) among females. Teens aged 16 to 19 are four times more likely to be involved in a car crash than older drivers. The groups who are at highest risk are males (almost twice as likely as females), teens driving with teen passengers and newly licensed teens (within the first year of obtaining their license). One of the most successful ways of decreasing car crashes among teens is to have them go through a graduated drivers licensing (GDL) program, which allows them to obtain driving experience under low-risk conditions.

4.

Make sure teens’ rite of passage doesn’t end in tragedy

The News Desk (column)
Columnist Scott Shenk writes about how the freedom that comes along with obtaining a driver's license can be dangerous and deadly. "You can combine the number of U.S. teens who are murdered, who commit suicide and who die of cancer and still not equal the number who die in car crashes." Shenk refers to the fact that for many teenager drivers, it is a game and they take risks while driving. So too do adults. It is important for parents to educate their teens about the risks so that they can gain the necessary experience in a safe manner.

5.

Teenage drivers: patterns of risk

Journal of Safety Research
A study in the Journal of Safety and Research finds that teenagers have crash rates that exceed those of drivers any age, especially 16 and 17-year-olds. Although there is a variation, driving situations and patterns of risk form the basis for graduated licensing systems. Graduated licensing systems are designed to encourage low-risk driving and discourage high-risk driving. An important risk that is included in the study is the fact that nighttime driving increases the risk of a serious crash among young drivers. Reasons include fatigue and a lack of experience driving at night.