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Parenting Tips > Article
Parenting Tips
Helping Prevent the
Leading Cause of Death in Teens
by Dr. Sam Meyers
One of the first recorded fatal car
accidents in history occurred in Great Britain in the year 1896,
when a woman was struck by a vehicle traveling down the streets of
London at the reckless speed of eight miles per hour. The coroner
expressed his hope that the unfortunate accident was a unique
occurrence.
Sadly, death on the road is no longer
a unique occurrence. Here in the United States, there is an
average of about 40,000 traffic fatalities annually, over 5,000 of
which are teenage deaths. This is far and away the leading cause
of death for teenagers. We lose more teenagers every year on
American roads than we have lost soldiers in five years of war in
Iraq. In a recent national survey done by Allstate Insurance, the
Tampa Bay region leads all urban areas in the United States for
the most auto-related deaths of individuals within the ages of 16
to 19. Understandably, around the country there is an overwhelming
consensus to bring our troops out of harm’s way, and yet we hardly
blink an eye at the death toll accruing daily on our roads.
The three leading factors in teenage
automotive deaths are not wearing a seatbelt, speeding, and
alcohol or drug intoxication.
Most fatalities actually happen on
side streets at speeds below 40 mph. Twenty-five mph may seem a
painfully slow speed while you are driving through a residential
neighborhood, but it is the speed at which you would strike the
ground if you fell from a three-story building. It sounds
ridiculous to think that you could brace yourself with your arms
as you struck the ground and walk away from such a fall unscathed.
Yet, while we are within the seeming safety of our cars, we
sometimes think that seatbelts at these speeds are unnecessary
because we can brace against the steering wheel. Many foreheads
have left their impression on many windshields due to this train
of thought. And, of course, I would venture to say that the
majority of teens are driving faster than the posted speed, which
increases their risk of having an accident as well as their risk
of fatality.
It’s also important to understand that
an airbag is not a replacement for a seatbelt. The use of air bags
without the use of a seatbelt only reduces the chance of serious
injury or death by approximately 12%, while the combination of
seatbelt and airbags reduce the risk by about 50%. Without a
seatbelt, the momentum of the collision simply lifts the body
either up and over or down and under the airbag, driving the head
into the ceiling or windshield, or the knees into the dash. And,
of course, the typical steering wheel or dashboard airbags are of
little use in a rear-end, side-impact, or rollover accident.
The current legal limit of blood
alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.08%, and 0.02% for drivers under
the age of 21. A BAC of 0.08% is the standard percentage used
because this is the level at which we begin to see a sharp upswing
in the risk of fatality. It is tough to measure BAC by the number
of drinks consumed because of variations in weight, sex, and body
fat, but it is generally accepted that the consumption of two to
four standard drinks will put an average adult over their legal
limit. One drink will put a teen over their legal limit of 0.02%
BAC. It takes the average person approximately one and a half to
three hours to return to 0% for each drink consumed. Alcohol or
drug impairment coupled with the inexperience of a teenage driver
is a recipe for disaster.
If you’re a parent, the best policy is
to lead by example. Wear your seatbelt and make your children wear
theirs. It should be a habit. Don’t speed or drive dangerously.
Your children will imitate your impatience on the road. If you
find yourself tempted to speed, take a deep breath; you’ll reach
your destination in due time. Don’t drink and drive. Educate your
children about the incredible dangers involved with this behavior.
Driving at night, passengers in the
car, and cell phone usage all greatly increase a teenager’s risk
of an auto accident. It can be difficult to convince teenagers of
their own mortality, but hopefully, the more educated they are
about the dangers involved, the less likely they’ll be to do
something foolish. That may be the difference between living 16
years or 100. Make sure they’re educated; make them take a
driver’s education course. Good luck!
Sam Meyers D.C. is a practicing
chiropractic physician in the northeast St. Petersburg area,
specializing in neck and back injuries. He also offers free
lectures in the community. He can be contacted at (727) 528-1133
or
drsam@backandneckpainclinic.com for any further questions.
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