Just over a month ago, I joined the ranks of so many parents who have teens on the roads. Yet, even as I consider how well my son’s driving has developed this past year, I know many driving skills are obtained on the road, through experience.  Simply put, driving is a high risk activity, and especially risky for teenage drivers.  Did you know that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group? Those numbers translate to an alarming statistic that nearly 11 teens die in fatal car crashes every day on U.S. roads.  I’m challenged to change these outcomes, both in my role as the Acting Director of the CDC’s Injury Center and, most personally, as a parent to my 16 year old son, Nick.  

As parents, we share our children’s pride when they earn their driver’s license. For most of us, though, our overriding emotion as we watch our teens drive away is concern.

Our concern is justified. Statistics show that the risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.

When we drive, we join the community of drivers on the road. We rely on each other to follow laws and pay attention. We trust that everyone on the road with us is a dependable member of our community.

Over the past several months, there has been a lot of talk about the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). Should it remain at 21, or should our country consider lowering the drinking age to 18 years old? 

Family road trips these days are a far cry from what they used to be. For one thing, in many cars, games of “Slug Bug” and “I Spy” have been replaced with kids whiling away the hours watching movies and playing video games. But a more important development is that kids now are safer then ever when travelling in motor vehicles. A big reason for this is stricter child passenger safety regulations.