WisDOT urges teen driving safety

National Teen Driver Safety Week was Oct. 16-22 and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation urged parents to ensure their teens are driving safely.

According to an article by The Chronotype, last year, 37 teenagers were killed and more than 5,500 were injured in traffic crashes in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

“During National Teen Driver Safety Week …  parents are encouraged to help their children make better decisions behind the wheel and mentor them while they gain driving experience,” the article reads.

Teens are reportedly more likely to crash than adult drivers, according to David Pabst, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety.

“Teens also tend to speed, drive aggressively and not buckle up,” Pabst says in the article. “In addition, teens are prone to distracted driving. State law prohibits drivers with an instruction permit or probationary license, which includes many teenagers, from using a cell phone while driving except to report an emergency. Another state law prohibits texting while driving for all motorists. Despite these laws, too many teens still talk or text on mobile devices when all their attention should be focused on driving.”

Traffic safety officials stressed that the risk of a crash increases significantly when teen drivers have other teenage passengers in the vehicle with them.

“Inexperienced teen drivers can be easily distracted by their teenaged passengers,” Pabst says. “Wisconsin has a graduated driver license requirement for new drivers under age 18 that helps them gain valuable experience behind the wheel while limiting the number of teen passengers in their vehicles.”

The DOT stresses that Parents play a critical role in helping their teens develop safety-conscious driving habits.

“WisDOT offers a Parent’s Supervised Driving Program to help teens become safe, smart and skilled drivers,” the article reads. More information is available online at:  http://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/dmv/shared/psdp-guidebook.pdf.

Most importantly, according to the WisDOT, parents need to set a good example for their children—no matter what their age—by obeying speed limits, buckling up, and eliminating distractions.