National experts urge parents – Have the driving safety talk now

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - This October, national experts are asking parents to talk to teens about the importance of driving safely. National data shows an average of 7 teens die in a traffic crash every day, and in some states, those numbers are going up.

According to David Reich of the National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF), fatality crashes across the United States peaked during the pandemic.

"The numbers have been slowly creeping down, but not not fast enough," Reich told Local News 8. "(In) Idaho, along with a few other states, the numbers actually have been going up."

According to the Idaho Transportation Department, fatal accidents in Idaho reached a 20 year high in 2023. That's almost a 30 percent increase in fatalities in only a year.

Some of the main topics driving experts are asking parents to cover are:

• Distracted Driving: According to the most recent data, in 2021, among teen drivers involved in fatal crashes, 7% were reported as distracted at the time of the crash.
• Speed: In 2021, almost one-third (32%) of all teen drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash.
• Driving with Passengers: "Research shows the risk of a fatal crash dramatically increases in direct relation to the number of passengers in a vehicle," said Reich.

A national survey by the NRSF suggests that parents who "set rules" for their teenage driver have fewer teenage crashes.

"Let them (Parents) say, 'Listen, I'm going to be watching what you're doing. And, there can be consequences if you're texting. If I see that you've been texting and driving, then you don't get the car for a week.'" suggests Reich. "Set some and stick with it."

October 20th-26th marks National Teen Safety Week. In preparation, driving experts have created a few resources to help parents prepare their teen driver for the roadway.

Click HERE to see those resources.