PREVENT SPECIAL EVENT TRAGEDY

For young drivers, special events present special challenges to driving safety.  Events like Homecoming, Prom, and graduation are often marred by a tragic crash, leading to critical injury or death.  In 2021, in a suburb of Indianapolis, two teens were killed when their vehicle was t-boned by a young adult driver going to the same Prom.  When the news reached the school, the event was canceled for the evening.  Although it was rescheduled a few weeks later, the event was shadowed by this tragic loss of life.

Investigators found that both drivers made critical errors commonly associated with teenage vehicle crashes, carelessness, and excessive speed. At GAAP Safety, we recommend a "Never, Always, Once" approach to the task of driving safely.  There are things drivers must NEVER do, and exceeding the speed limit is one of them.  There are things drivers must ALWAYS do, and making a full stop and carefully evaluating cross-traffic before proceeding is one of those.  All drivers must know that doing ONCE what must never be done, or ONCE failing to do what must always be done, can lead to unforgettable tragedy.

For special events, the increase in excitement and emotions may contribute to ease of distraction, another common cause of collisions.  Parents and educators need to remember that when many young adults become licensed, their brain development in areas critical to good judgment is incomplete.  The good news is that by taking additional precautionary steps, these young drivers can compensate for the development deficit and be safe on these occasions resulting in many great memories.

Special occasions are not an excuse to violate your state's graduated privilege rules.  Know the rules and enforce them with your teens as drivers and passengers.  Here is a link to the GDL rules by state.  If you decide to make an exception, you must spend a lot of time with your teen to help them understand that their number one task is to get everyone to and from the event safely.  Help them know this is no time for showing off or forgetting safe driving techniques.  Help them develop consistent resistance to distraction that occurs when there are multiple teens in the car.

All drivers, especially young adult drivers, need to build a distraction resistance strategy.  Four young adults in a small car en route to a highly anticipated event is a recipe for distraction.  Spend a lot of time with them driving and studying their attentiveness and resistance to distraction.  If they're easily distracted, limit their driving.

Remind all passengers that they have an important role in the driver's task.  Everyone in the car should keep their voice down and their phones off.  No one should resist wearing a seat belt.  Here's a link to our article about being a great passenger.

Teens copy their parents driving habits and often worse.  If you are a parent of a young adult driver, make sure you drive the way you want them to.  Never rush traffic lights, roll stops, speed, or follow closely.  It's ok to be a bit anti-social on the road; keep your distance and stay clear of traffic groups.

GAAP Safety is dedicated to helping parents keep their young adult drivers from becoming complacent, careless, or reckless on the road.  You can read about our system and tools at gaapsafety.com.  Our New Driver Challenge series is designed to help parents guide their newly licensed drivers through the early months of independent driving which are the most dangerous.  The above recommendations and much more are covered in the New Driver Challenge.