John Griffin: To my teen daughter, her peers and their parents

May 31: the unofficial start to summer. Like you, many graduates are pondering their next steps in life. Enjoying the freedom to choose their path. For some, the next stage in life is more school; for others, a job or taking a break.

“Ahh, life, living, loving and doing things with friends and family. The start of your journey of creating the memories of your life. You grew up hearing me tell you that choices have consequences, some good, some bad. That advice can still be valuable as you enter the next stage of your life. Can we talk about driving and how to do it safely because I love you and care about you?”

Did you know May 31 is also referred to as the start of the 100 deadliest days of summer? That’s because motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional death for young people your age in Washington. (Washington Traffic Safety Commission, n.d.) In Washington this year to date, there have been 312 fatal and suspected serious injury collisions involving young drivers (age 16-25) with 64 fatalities (WASDOT crash data). In our local region, Spokane, Stevens, Pend Oreille and Whitman counties, we have lost 11 lives in seven crashes just since mid-May. Five of those lives were people your age. Some choices have consequences that are final and have no do-overs.

Some of the major causes of those crashes, deaths and injuries are due to drivers speeding, not wearing their seat belts, driving distracted and driving impaired. I know you do not fall into all these categories, but you do fall into some of them. You might be tempted to think that “everyone is doing …” (you fill in the rest). “Yeah, you might think that, but you’d be wrong.”

The truth is, most young drivers (92%) reported not driving within 2 hours of drinking or feeling buzzed. Most drivers viewed typing (96.2%), reading (94.3%) and talking (79.7%) on a hand-held cellphone while driving to be very or extremely dangerous. An overwhelming majority of drivers (91%), like your dad, believe that everyone should obey the speed limit because it is the law and 93% of the people in Washington wear their seatbelt when riding in or driving a vehicle. That’s good news, because it means most drivers are not engaged in risky driving behaviors.

“I saw that eye roll, and I know I’m not telling you anything new, I just want you to keep your guard up and make good safe decisions when driving.”

I get the obligatory, “OK, Dad,” followed by the well-practiced 180-degree turn to go the other direction.

“Hey! Knowing is only half the battle. To be safe, you must put the knowledge into action and that sometimes requires we confront and change our faulty beliefs about driving.”

Stopping and turning, “What do you mean?”

“Well, you might think you are safe not wearing your seatbelt on short trips, like to the convenience store. Yeah, you might think that, but you’d be wrong again.”

The truth is, wearing your seatbelt reduces the chance of dying or being seriously injured in a crash by about 70%. So, decide now to always wear your seatbelt. “I love you and care about you and while I can’t be there to protect you all the time, I can try and teach you to make good decisions that will make you as safe as possible. It will also help make your friends safer, because I know you care enough to say something to them if they are making choices that are not safe, too.”

“Yeah, I definitely will. I love you too, Dad,” she said as she walks away.

I turn toward you in my best Ferris Bueller imitation. “Yes, you. The parent reading this. You know you have an important role to play too, right?” Did you know that when parents are supportive, set driving rules and monitor driving behavior, your teen driver(s) are half as likely to crash compared to their peers with less involved parents? In fact, research done by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has found that compared to teens who perceive their parents as uninvolved, teens who perceive their parents as authoritative are half as likely to crash, 71% less likely to drive intoxicated, and 30% less likely to use a cellphone when driving. These same teens are 50% more likely to buckle up and recognize why doing so is important (CHOP, 2009).

“We all can be the parent who drives like the driver we want our young drivers to be by wearing our seatbelt, watching our speed, putting our phone away while driving and not driving impaired so everyone can make it home to those they love.”

John Griffin is the Target Zero Manager at the Spokane County Target Zero Task Force.