Does your teen buckle up?
Wednesday March 26, 2008
An article on HULIQ.com cites some pretty tough statistics for parents to read:
“According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young Americans, and young drivers have disproportionately high rates of fatal crashes per 100,000 drivers. NHTSA also reports that two-thirds of teens killed in accidents nationwide were not wearing seatbelts.”
My daughter has recently started driving and she is in the habit of having a seat belt on even in the backseat of the car. I’m of course hoping that this good habit continues and I’m ready to reinforce it with consequences if not. Do you think pulling the keys for a day would be going to far if your teen needed a constant reminder to buckle up? I think we often sound like a broken record to them, therefore a small consequence might be needed.
Poll: Does your teen buckle up?
Comments
We have a “the car doesn’t move until everyone is buckled in” rule that has been enforced since the kids were little. They would never get into a car and not automatically buckle up. If they are in a car where an adult has not buckled up - they will speak up and tell them to do it! My oldest will be driving soon, and I know she will buckle up as well as require all her passengers do the same. I never start the car unless I’m buckled in - not even to back the car out of the driveway - it’s the best, safest habit in the world to have and it quickly becomes automatic.
I’d take the keys away in a heart beat if I ever caught mine in the car unbuckled, I’d also take them away if passengers were allowed in and not buckled. In my state, the police can pull you over and ticket you if you are caught unbuckled.
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