Why Do Many Teens Refuse to Buckle Up?
One of my earliest childhood memories is loading up as a family into my dad’s wood-paneled Jeep, and hearing, “The car won’t start until everyone has a seat belt on.” That, and if we wanted to turn the light on in the back, we had to blow on it really hard to wake up the little light-keeper woman that lived inside (thanks for that one, Dad). Because seat belt usage was so ingrained growing up, I’ve never gotten into a car without buckling up, which makes it that much more shocking that so many teens drive and ride seat belt-less today.
Related: Parents as Driving Instructors: What Works?
Statistics show that in half of all teen fatalities on the road, the teens were not wearing seat belts. What’s scarier is that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a new report funded by the General Motors Foundation, Safe Kids Worldwide surveyed 1,000 teens and asked the question all parents want to know: What the @#$% were you thinking? Although, I assume they phrased it more politely.
The top reasons teens admitted to not buckling up on every ride?
- 34 percent said they’ve forgotten or that it wasn’t a habit.
- 16 percent said it was because they weren’t driving far.
- 11 percent complained that seat belts just aren’t comfortable.
Since strapping our teens safely inside their cars with duct tape is generally frowned upon, Safe Kids has some tips for parents on how to avoid imminent tragedy as a result of our teens not buckling up:
- Buckle up on every ride, every time. This is important for everyone, both drivers and passengers.
- Talk to teens and kids about ways to speak up if a driver of any age isn’t driving safely.
- Be a role model in all your driving habits.
