There are few rites of passage in life that rival the excitement of getting a driver's license. But for teens who get behind the wheel, that excitement can quickly turn to danger. According to the CDC, in 2019, nearly 2,400 teens aged 13–19 in the U.S. were killed in car accidents, and about 258,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes. To help parents ensure their teens' safety when driving, WalletHub analyzed the teen-driving conditions across the country using 23 key metrics evaluating the safety, economic environment, and driving laws in each of the 50 states. The slideshow above ranks the worst states in the U.S. for teen drivers in 2021, according to WalletHub's "Best & Worst States for Teen Drivers" report. Federico Vaca, MD, MPH, a professor and vice-chair of faculty affairs in Yale School of Medicine's Department of Emergency Medicine, shared with WalletHub simple steps parents can take to make sure their teens are prepared to have safe driving experiences:
- Before planning to put teens through the paces of getting their driver's license, give considerable thought about the developmental readiness of your teen to be behind the wheel and on the road.
- Consider the safety (driver and passenger safety technology) and reliability of the car that will be available for your teen to drive both when driving with supervision and particularly when they are ultimately driving independently.
- Commit to dedicated time with your teen so they can practice driving supervised and so that you can provide instruction to them, adhering to GDL required supervised practice driving hours for licensure, and making sure they safely and gradually get exposed to driving different roads and in traffic environments.
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Heather A. Turner
Heather A. Turner is the managing editor of ALM's NU Property & Casualty Group. She can be reached at [email protected].
