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Guest
Here are some of the things kids like to do in cars:
They Sometimes Don’t Wear Seat Belts and Harnesses
When they get in the family car, a parent or grandparent or older child says, “You kids got your seatbelts on? Jeremy, help Annie get her belt on. Okay, Jason! We’re not going one inch until you get that seat belt on.” When riding a friends car, or if they are driving and in control, it is a different. They don’t necessarily wear seat belts. Some think it is macho not to.
American Indian youth in particular don’t like the restraint of a seat belt.
My oldest son is a neurosurgeon (brain surgeon). He has some very sad stories. Don’t you become one of them.
Two of my grandchildren and four of their friends were in an accident the other night. They are all hurting today. My grandson had terrific trauma and eye abrasion. (The trauma was caused by a horrible accident he had as a pedestrian in his youth. Everything came back.) Most of the kids had their seat belts on, some may not have.
They Sometimes Drive too Fast
Fourteen percent of all traffic deaths are teenage drivers. Speed is the major killer. What’s called “the need for speed” can kill you and strangers you didn’t want to meet head-on.
Your school may exhibit cars that have been in head-on and rollover accidents, squashed vehicles that turned out to be killers. Don’t get into a car with a teenage speed maniac. The need for speed is death indeed.
They Distract the Driver or the Driver Doesn’t Watch the Rode
Teens often think that car time is fun time.
It’s time to yell, push and shove, and distract.
That can become, and too often is, deadly.
Behave yourself in a car and encourage others to do the same.
Who do you know that got into an accident because of this behavior? Check the In Memoriam section of your high school yearbook. Experts say that immaturity is the factor here. You already knew that, didn’t you?
They Drive or Ride in an Unsafe Vehicle or Ride in the Back of a Pickup Truck
I lost a niece because of mechanical failure of the car she was driving. A sweet, bright university student is gone.
Make sure your car is properly maintained, that the tires are at the correct air pressure, that the breaks work, and that the steering is system is safe. Have a mechanic take a look at your vehicle. It won’t take that much of your time. It may save your life.
Teenagers have a tendency to drive smaller vehicles that are not as safe as larger vehicles. There is not much you can do about that but if you are buying a vehicle, think about it.
Don’t become a flying projectile bounced out of the back of a pickup during a collision.
They Sometimes Drive too Soon in Heavy Traffic
Just because you past the driving test, don’t mean that you are an expert driver. If you learned to drive in a rural community and then you drive into the traffic of a larger city before you’ve had experience in driving in heavy traffic, you can get in to an accident before you can say, “Jack Sprat could eat no fat.”
Have an adult spend some time with you driving under more difficult driving conditions. Yes, I know you can drive like Mario Andretti. Please do what I suggest. My grandson has had two accidents since he got is driving license. He was not ready to drive.
By: John T Jones, Ph.D.
They Sometimes Don’t Wear Seat Belts and Harnesses
When they get in the family car, a parent or grandparent or older child says, “You kids got your seatbelts on? Jeremy, help Annie get her belt on. Okay, Jason! We’re not going one inch until you get that seat belt on.” When riding a friends car, or if they are driving and in control, it is a different. They don’t necessarily wear seat belts. Some think it is macho not to.
American Indian youth in particular don’t like the restraint of a seat belt.
My oldest son is a neurosurgeon (brain surgeon). He has some very sad stories. Don’t you become one of them.
Two of my grandchildren and four of their friends were in an accident the other night. They are all hurting today. My grandson had terrific trauma and eye abrasion. (The trauma was caused by a horrible accident he had as a pedestrian in his youth. Everything came back.) Most of the kids had their seat belts on, some may not have.
They Sometimes Drive too Fast
Fourteen percent of all traffic deaths are teenage drivers. Speed is the major killer. What’s called “the need for speed” can kill you and strangers you didn’t want to meet head-on.
Your school may exhibit cars that have been in head-on and rollover accidents, squashed vehicles that turned out to be killers. Don’t get into a car with a teenage speed maniac. The need for speed is death indeed.
They Distract the Driver or the Driver Doesn’t Watch the Rode
Teens often think that car time is fun time.
It’s time to yell, push and shove, and distract.
That can become, and too often is, deadly.
Behave yourself in a car and encourage others to do the same.
Who do you know that got into an accident because of this behavior? Check the In Memoriam section of your high school yearbook. Experts say that immaturity is the factor here. You already knew that, didn’t you?
They Drive or Ride in an Unsafe Vehicle or Ride in the Back of a Pickup Truck
I lost a niece because of mechanical failure of the car she was driving. A sweet, bright university student is gone.
Make sure your car is properly maintained, that the tires are at the correct air pressure, that the breaks work, and that the steering is system is safe. Have a mechanic take a look at your vehicle. It won’t take that much of your time. It may save your life.
Teenagers have a tendency to drive smaller vehicles that are not as safe as larger vehicles. There is not much you can do about that but if you are buying a vehicle, think about it.
Don’t become a flying projectile bounced out of the back of a pickup during a collision.
They Sometimes Drive too Soon in Heavy Traffic
Just because you past the driving test, don’t mean that you are an expert driver. If you learned to drive in a rural community and then you drive into the traffic of a larger city before you’ve had experience in driving in heavy traffic, you can get in to an accident before you can say, “Jack Sprat could eat no fat.”
Have an adult spend some time with you driving under more difficult driving conditions. Yes, I know you can drive like Mario Andretti. Please do what I suggest. My grandson has had two accidents since he got is driving license. He was not ready to drive.
By: John T Jones, Ph.D.