The need for speed is not exclusive to boys and it is important to remind them that the car they are driving is a 2,000 pound weapon. But, the need for speed extends past cars. It happens with bikes, skate boards, scooters, ATVs, water crafts of all types. If it can go faster and do something interesting the teen will want to find out why.
Why teens push the limit
The part of the brain that judges risk is the last one to finish growing. It keeps developing till about the age of 25. So a teen can know a rule and still break it in the moment. Add friends in the back seat and the risk goes up further. This is not bad character. It is biology. Which is why rules at home have to do the job that judgement cannot do yet.
A parent can begin by setting a good example. Fastening a seatbelt, driving the speed limit (even when it is boring or stupid), coming to a complete stop and avoid road rage goes a long way in teaching your children the value of safety.
Some facts and even fun experiments can help your teen understand the dangers of speed.
A 150 pound teenager will launch from a car at the rate of 50 times heavier when there is a sudden stop. That is the equivalent of 7500 pounds being tossed through a windshield or a window in less than a second. Use a cantaloupe or watermelon to demonstrate in the backyard. Skulls will not stand up to that kind of force. The teen will not have time to react or brace him or her; and even if there may be time, muscle strength cannot fight that level of force.
Speed safety rules every teen should know
- Seat belts always! Read the paper, last line, “driver was not wearing a seat belt”. 9 of 10 people will die or have life altering injuries without a seatbelt on.
- Streets are designed for the posted speed. It might be fun to try it at 55 mph but controlling the car at that speed may not be possible.
- Weather and conditions are huge variables. Newly surfaced roads with gravel are hard to stop on (like ice). Fog, rain, snow block visibility, I will never forget the driver who was the sole survivor of an incident, “I was doing the speed limit!” He was going 65 mph (the speed limit) in a blinding snowstorm on ice packed roads, three died. Common sense must prevail.
- Study after study shows that going 10 mph faster than the speed limit does NOT get you there faster. You will sit at the same red light as the people going the speed limit and will have risked more.
- Speed and distractions are a bad mix. Music blaring, all the friends talking, soda in one hand and a phone in the other are not a good way to ensure arriving alive. Drive to drive, in the limits of the law. Listen to musics, make calls, have lunch and talk with friends out of the car or boat or ATV.
- Speed and foolish interest in “what will happen” can be the last things a teen will remember or utter when it comes of skateboard tricks, motorcycle or ATV stunts or water sport stunts.
The stopping distance test
Numbers land better than lectures. At 30 mph a car needs roughly 75 feet to stop. At 60 mph it needs close to 240 feet. Double the speed and the stopping distance more than triples. Take your teen to an empty parking lot and pace it out. Once they walk that distance, the point sticks.
Make a family driving agreement
Write it down and both of you sign it. Keep it short.
- No phone in hand, even at a red light
- One passenger only for the first six months
- No driving after 10 pm in the beginning
- Call for a ride any time, no questions asked and no punishment
- Helmet for every bike, skateboard and ATV ride
That last rule matters the most. A teen who is scared of getting into trouble will drive home tired or scared instead of calling you.
You don’t let your kids learn that the oven is hot by touching it. Show your kids the pictures and consequences of speed and stupid. The internet is full of examples.
Speed kills. A skateboard or bike can get up to 35 mph on a downhill. That is a mean road rash if there is a sudden stop or bump. The car crossing the road will not see a teen going that fast or that low. Give your teen’s safe places to play with speed-go cart parks, video games and the like. Cars and other vehicles are not the place for speed. Be safe.
Common questions from parents
At what age is a teen safest to start driving?
Crash risk is highest in the first six months on the road, at any age. Supervised practice hours matter more than the birth date on the licence.
Do speed limiter apps really work?
They help. Most insurers now offer an app that reports hard braking and speeding. Tell your teen it is on. Hiding it turns a safety tool into a trust problem.
What about ATVs and jet skis?
Same rules apply. Helmet, no passengers beyond the seat count and no night riding. These vehicles have no seat belts and no crumple zone.
