Teens and Injuries

Quick Facts

• Injuries kill more teens than all diseases combined.
• Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death and disability among teens today.
• At least one teen dies of an injury every hour every day in the United States.
• Other causes of injury or death among teens include drowning, sports injuries, and rape.
• More teens are being killed by guns than ever before.
• Most teens do not like and do not wear bike helmets.
• Adolescents are less likely to use seat belts than any other age group.
• Understanding and obeying the rules of the road are important components of safe cycling.
• Alcohol is involved in about 35% of teen driver fatalities.

Tips for Parents

1. Set clear rules for driving or riding in a car.
   
   • Make seat belt use mandatory for the driver and passengers.
   • Don't allow teens to drive when they are upset or angry.
   • Limit your teen's driving to daylight hours and restrict it to your local community if he or she is an inexperienced driver.
   • Continue to supervise your teen's driving after he or she has a license.
   • Discuss safe driving rules and the consequences of not following rules. Talk about getting a ticket; being involved in an accident; driving while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs; and getting home from an unsafe situation.
   • Ask your teen where he or she is going and with whom.
   • Make sure your teen understands that alcohol and other drugs are not allowed in the car.
   • Tell your teen to never get into a car with a driver who has been drinking.
   • Encourage your teen to call home and be picked up-with no questions asked-if he or she or the driver has been drinking.
   • Talk about taking rides from older teens your teen doesn't know and from brothers and sisters of friends.
   • Get the names and phone numbers of drivers, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
   • Tell your teen never to ride in the "bed" of a truck.
2. Set clear rules for safe biking.
   
   • If your teen wants to ride a bicycle, a bicycle helmet is a must.
   • Review the rules of the road for bikers.
   • Encourage your teen to avoid riding a bicycle when it is dark.
   • If your teen rides a bicycle at night, a reflective vest or other gear and reflectors on the bicycle are mandatory.
3. Increase water sports safety.
   
   • Make sure your teen can swim. If your teen does not know how to swim, enroll him or her in lessons.
   • Do not allow your teen to swim or boat alone.
   • Remind your teen to jump-never dive-into water the first time to check its depth. It may be too shallow for diving.
   • Tell your teen to never combine the use alcohol or other drugs with water sports.
   • See Summer Sports for more detailed information.
4. Encourage your teen to wear protective sport gear.
   
   • Depending on the activity, this may include face protectors, helmets, knee, elbow, and wrist pads, and mouth guards.
5. Reduce the risk of firearm injury to your teen.
   
   • Do not keep a gun in your home.
   • If you have a gun, keep it unloaded and locked up.
   • Lock and store bullets separately.
6. Be a role model.
   
   • Obey traffic regulations and speed limits.
   • Wear your seat belt; don't speed; don't drink and drive.
   • Stay in control of your emotions when driving.
   • Wear a helmet when driving a motorcycle or riding a bicycle.
   • Wear reflective clothing when riding a bicycle at night.

In Case of Emergency (ICE)

Emergency personnel advocate people carry a card with a note about who to call in case of an emergency with their identification, and also put an entry under ICE in their cell phones that designates a number of who should be called in case of an emergency. This helps emergency service workers locate next of kin or a parent in case your child is unconscious or needs emergency care.