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As the parent of a teen, have you found yourself looking at your child, wondering “Why would you do that?” From mood swings to risk taking, “normal” teenage behavior can be confusing and exasperating. Research reveals that patterns of brain development during these formative years play a significant role in shaping teens’ behavior. In other […]
NHTSA’s Teen Driving site contains information on States’ driver licensing requirements for teens as well as ideas and resources to help you—the parents—lay down the ground rules with your aspiring driver before you hand over the car keys. Here you will find in-depth information on some of the most common safety problems novice teen drivers should avoid. […]
Teen drivers experience higher crash risk than their experienced adult counterparts. Legislative and community outreach methods have attempted to reduce this risk; results have been mixed. The increasing presence of vehicle safety features across the fleet has driven fatality numbers down in the past decades, but the disparity between young drivers and others remains. Read […]
To combat America’s opioid and heroin epidemic, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, launched a joint nationwide education initiative called “Operation Prevention.” Designed for elementary, middle, and high school students, educators and parents nationwide, Operation Prevention is an important effort to educate students about the science […]
This week – and every week, parents should have conversations with their teens about the important rules they need to follow to stay safe behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. These rules address the greatest dangers for teen drivers: distracted driving (texting while driving) impaired driving (alcohol and drugs) inconsistent or no seat belt […]
Did you know that your brain develops until the age of 25? Anything that you do to disrupt this process—including substance—will affect how your brain develops. During the brain’s development stage, any type of trauma and/or changes in the brain’s wiring could affect brain function. Drug use is one of the ways that can mess up […]
Traffic safety professionals are tasked with the complexities of finding ways to change behavior. Significant progress has been made in addressing several risky behaviors like not wearing a seat belt and driving aggressively resulting in fewer people engaging in these behaviors. However, a small portion of the population (i.e., about 10 percent) still does not […]
As marijuana laws change around the country, the use of marijuana edibles is rising. But a lot of people don’t know the risks. Do you? Take this quiz to find out. Our thanks to justthinktwice.com.
Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems were designed to protect young novice drivers by creating a safe environment in which to learn to drive and limit exposure to known high-risk conditions until the drivers have amassed at least several months of experience driving. A large body of research has found that GDL systems have substantially reduced […]
Crash involvement by 16- and 17-year-old drivers has decreased substantially over the past 15 years. This is largely due to the widespread adoption of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) programs and to the Great Recession, which substantially reduced driving by young teenagers. However, with one exception—New Jersey—GDL systems apply only to new drivers younger than 18, […]
