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By Jennifer Morrison, Head of Car Security at Mazda North American Operations
Embarking on the street of teenage driving is a pivotal, but daunting second for folks. We would like our older youngsters to be as protected behind the wheel as they as soon as have been whereas snuggly tucked into their automobile seats. An enormous a part of making certain our teenager’s security on the street is minimizing distractions whereas driving and maximizing the advantages from accessible crash prevention applied sciences.
In my capability because the Head of Car Security at Mazda, leveraging 15 years of experience as a freeway crash investigator, and as a father or mother to a newly-permitted teen driver, I’m intimately conversant in the alarming statistics surrounding freeway crashes. There are over 6 million crashes a 12 months within the US, leading to hundreds of thousands of accidents and tens of hundreds of fatalities, a disproportionate quantity occurring by the hands of younger drivers.
Because the father or mother or accountable get together, it’s essential to be taught the most effective methods to assist your teenage driver reduce distractions and achieve an understanding of how automobile applied sciences are actually, greater than ever, a part of the protection equation. We should educate new drivers as they begin out that driving is a privilege, not a proper, and have to be dealt with with the utmost care. That’s why we’ve offered the next security tricks to hold teen drivers and oldsters protected behind the wheel.
Finest Practices to Keep away from Distracted Driving
Whereas my work helps make automobiles as protected as doable, it stays the motive force’s accountability to give attention to the street and never get sidelined by issues just like the ever-present pull of our cell telephones. For teenage drivers, studying to drive is best when it’s the one factor they’ve to consider.
Firstly, restrict using leisure. It’s a good suggestion to progressively step into use of infotainment methods, encouraging new drivers to not tune into podcasts, audiobooks, and even the radio in the event that they discover it distracting. Cell telephones needs to be positioned out of attain throughout the crucial studying phases. As soon as new drivers are comfy with the basics, staying linked safely is feasible with methods like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. In many more moderen autos, pairing the motive force’s cellphone with the automobile may allow computerized 911 calling within the occasion of a crash.
I’d additionally advocate limiting the variety of passengers within the automobile with a brand new driver. Different passengers, particularly friends, may be actually difficult for teen drivers. A lot so, that many states have integrated limitations on passengers into their graduated licensing packages. Even when your state doesn’t use graduated licensing, set boundaries on who’s allowed in your teen driver’s automobile, in addition to when and the place they’ll drive. It’s typically best to place down expectations, guidelines, penalties, and rewards on paper so your teen driver is aware of what they’ll stay up for as soon as they show themselves attentive and accountable.
There are many teen driving apps accessible to help, equivalent to Life360, which gives location companies together with superior security options like crash detection and detailed driver stories.
Deciding on the Superb Journey for Your Teen
Teenagers typically have starkly completely different concepts for his or her first automobiles than their dad and mom do. They might have slick wheels and a giant engine of their sights whilst you have the older beater within the driveway earmarked for them. I guarantee you that there are many higher choices in between.
The primary intuition for a lot of dad and mom could also be to buy a used automobile. When you go this route, I’d advocate a Licensed Pre-Owned automobile in-built the previous few years. One other nice choice is to go together with a brand new automobile, which additionally gives benefits equivalent to a robust guarantee and probably the most up-to-date security applied sciences. Autos just like the Mazda3 or CX-5 come commonplace with a wide range of security applied sciences and are named on IIHS and Client Report’s checklist of Really useful Secure Automobiles for Teenagers. The checklist considers price and reliability, in addition to advisable security options of their roundup of finest choices. Whether or not your teenage driver begins off in a big SUV or sporty sedan, there are particular security options I’d advocate throughout the board.
The Most Vital Security Options for Teen Drivers
The security know-how options I view as non-negotiables for teen drivers are computerized emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and lane departure warning methods, which Mazda proudly consists of as commonplace throughout all new autos.
Automated emergency braking makes use of sensors to detect potential collisions and may intervene by making use of the brakes if crucial, whereas blind spot monitoring gives new drivers an additional set of eyes on busy highways. Lane departure warning offers well timed alerts to forestall unintended lane modifications or swerves, serving as an efficient software for reinforcing correct signaling habits.
Though these options can’t exchange a totally attentive driver, they’ll function a security internet, serving to to keep away from crashes when teen drivers inevitably miss issues, as even skilled drivers do.
Hold Your Teen Driver Secure Behind the Wheel
Though I’ve labored in transportation security for a few years, I presently have the distinction of viewing teenage driving by way of the attitude of a involved father or mother, and as somebody whose children will share the street along with your children. Let’s work collectively to teach our youngsters about how simple and harmful it’s to develop into distracted behind the wheel, and if doable, select a automobile that will probably be a superb associate in retaining them protected. Working to restrict recognized dangers and lean into accessible applied sciences helps make driving safer for our personal households and everybody else.
In regards to the Writer: Jennifer Morrison is the Head of Car Security at Mazda North American Operations. With a give attention to overseeing the event of crash avoidance know-how in autos, she’s decided to assist enhance roadway security one automobile at a time. Earlier than working for Mazda, Morrison spent over 15 years on the Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB) investigating freeway crashes as an Investigator-in-Cost and a security advocate.
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