The CDC isn’t just for pandemics: an opportunity to reverse course on teenage motor vehicle accidents.

The CDC isn’t just for
pandemics: an opportunity to reverse course on teenage motor vehicle
accidents.

With
most of America under stay-at-home orders due to the Coronavirus, I
found myself visiting unfamiliar websites like the Center for Disease
Control (CDC) to learn more about the reason I’m stuck in my home.
What I learned was that I’m in a pretty safe age group
pandemically-speaking and that if I follow some basic behaviors I can
further reduce my chances of becoming sick. After further browsing on
the website and I was shocked to learn that teenage driving is more
of a threat to me than the pandemic keeping the world in quarantine.
According to the CDC, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of
death for teenagers. Here is a sobering statistic:

“In
2017, 2,364 teens in the United States aged 16-19 were killed, and
about 300,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries
suffered in motor vehicle crashes. That means six teens aged 16-19
died every day due to motor vehicle crashes, and hundreds more were
injured.”

Wow…

The
encouraging news is that like pandemic preparation, education and
following simple behaviors can alter those statistics and keep you
and me safer behind the wheel. Based on CDC data here are three
things we can all do to roll back those statistics:

1.
Wear your seatbelt. Teens have the lowest level of seat belt use,
which also extends to our friends riding along with us.

2.
Make good choices. Speeding increases the chances of bad things
happening, especially if the driver is under the influence. Based on
the 2017 data I referenced earlier, 31% of the fatalities were
speeding at the time of the crash and 20% had been drinking.

3.
Focus. If you are looking at your phone you are not looking at the
road, and if it’s dark out this calls for increased caution. Per the
CDC, 40% of motor vehicle crash deaths among teen drivers and
passengers aged 13-19 occurred between 9 pm and 6 am.

The
fourth recommendation I will add is getting situationally smart. In
my own experience, I once slide too far forward because I didn’t
compensate for the loose gravel on the road. I wound up side-swiping
a car going by me. No one was hurt, but I will never forget the shock
of the moment and apologizing to the other driver. The fact is I
wasn’t an experienced enough driver to recognize the threat on the
road. Drivers ed is so important and knowledge is key to being
safe and situationally aware. I plan on asking additional questions
to my more experienced parents, like driving in heavy rain, on dirt
roads, and in snow conditions so I’m better prepared.

With
more time on our hands during this pandemic, I encourage all drivers
to check out the CDC page to stay healthy and safe on the roads.