NJM Offers Tips to Help Parents Increase Teen Driver Safety This Graduation Season

May 23, 2017

WEST TRENTON, NJ — NJM Insurance Company is encouraging parents to take an active role in reducing teen driver accidents this graduation season.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, automobile crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers ages 15 to 19. Studies show there is an even higher risk of fatalities during graduation season when teens are celebrating. Parents who actively discuss and monitor teen driver safety with their young drivers can help reduce that risk by as much as 50 percent.

Five Ways Parents Can Help Keep Their Teens Safe on the Road

1. Limit the number of friends your teen will have in the car. A teen's crash risk is significantly higher when driving with more than one passenger.
   
   
2. Remind your teen to buckle up every time he or she gets into a car, as a driver or a passenger. Seat belts are proven to save lives.
   
   
3. Encourage your teen to concentrate on the road and just drive. Distracted driving is responsible for 42 percent of teen crashes.
   
   
4. Discuss the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Help your teen understand the dangers and legal ramifications of impaired driving.
   
   
5. Assure your teen that it’s okay to contact you if he or she is concerned about driving, or riding as a passenger with someone else who may be impaired or behaving recklessly.

"Involved parenting is proven to be the best prevention. Research shows that parents remain a powerful influence on teens developing safe behaviors that prevent negative outcomes," said Violet Marrero, NJM's Consumer Safety Director and a nationally recognized authority on teen driver safety. "Openly communicating about driver safety and planning ahead will help to ensure teens and their friends all arrive home safely."


About NJM Insurance Company

NJM Insurance Company is the Garden State's second largest writer of personal auto insurance, covering more than 800,000 drivers. The Company has earned national recognition for its Teen Driver Safety Program, which is offered at no cost to high schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit www.njm.com/teen-driver-safety.