WELCOME TO
HAZARD RECOGNITION
DRIVING FOR TEENS
AUTO ACCIDENTS CAN BE AVOIDED!
Teach your teen practical on road skills for a lifetime of safe driving. Driving cannot be learned in one week of classes at the age of 15 or 16. Teens do not have the experience to appropriately respond to the conditions they will face on the road. Parents play a critical role in this learning process and with the proper tools they can be successful in creating safe teen drivers who scan, recognize and react to the hazards they face on the road. Experienced drivers know that children will step out between parked cars, distracted drivers are erratic, impatient drivers will pull in front of you without warning, and that some drivers do not stop at red lights. Parents must help teens to learn to recognize these hazards before they ever get behind the wheel and not rely on their teens developing that experience over their first ten years of driving.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. Per mile driven, drivers ages 16-19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash. Although troublesome, most crashes by teen drivers don’t involve the much-discussed distractions of texting or drinking.
While any distraction may cause an accident, and alcohol is a factor in almost 25 percent of deadly teen crashes, the majority of crashes for new drivers can be clearly attributed to inexperience, cognitive and emotional immaturity, and most importantly, a lack of physical and mental driving skills.
Driving is a physical skill, like baseball, basketball or even playing the violin. We're not very good the first time we try it even though we may think we are. Over time through our own practice and experiences we become better. Striking out, missing a free throw, or playing the wrong note on the violin may be terrible at the time but they are not life changing experiences. Failing to clear an intersection because you're on the phone can result in the death of your best friend and change your life forever.
All auto accidents can be prevented by just one of the drivers involved and that’s YOU.
Your goal should be to never be in an auto accident. Make it your lifelong practice to: Scan for hazards, Recognize the dangers and React accordingly.