ST. LOUIS — Sunday marks the start of National Teen Driver Safety Week. It's a time to make sure the most inexperienced drivers are staying safe on the road.
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for teens 15 to 18 years old, according to AAA Spokesperson Nick Chabarria, so it's important to make sure your new driver knows what they're doing behind the wheel.
"I think a lot of folks might be surprised to hear that traffic crashes are the leading cause of death amongst teens, and it really is for a number of reasons. It's not just an experience but we know teens are more susceptible to impaired driving, whether that be alcohol or drug, but also distraction both from phones and also other passengers in the vehicle," he said.
Other risk factors include teens not wearing a seat belt, speeding, and aggressive driving. Chabarria said the likelihood of teens being involved in a crash goes up exponentially the more friends they have in the vehicle.
"Making sure teens know the law because there are some restrictions on how many other teen passengers they can have in the vehicle at one time so that varies by state. Also, a big concern for teens driving is nighttime driving, so making sure you have a curfew in place with your teen," he said.
According to AAA, 133 Missourians were killed in teen driver-involved traffic crashes in 2023. 47% of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding or driving too fast for roadway conditions and 77% of teens who died in crashes were unbuckled.
Over in Illinois in 2023, according to AAA, 78 teens were killed in traffic crashes as either drivers or passengers. 638 teens were seriously injured in traffic crashes.
Chabarria said the best way for parents to mitigate risks is to actively be involved in your teens learning-to-drive experience, evaluated your teen's readiness, get informed on your state's Graduated Driver Licensing process and be a good role model.
"Following the speed limit, not driving with your cell phone in your hand, and of course always buckling up. Just setting those good habit really sets young drivers down the right path to stay safe as they start their driving journey," he said.
AAA also just launched a new teen driver safety contest in partnership with MoDOT called "Show Me Your Safe Driving Challenge." This is for teen drivers at Missouri high schools and promotes safe driving. You can win up to $15 thousand in prizes and the sign-up ends Wednesday, Oct. 30.