Even inside the vehicle, if they aren't wearing a seat belt, they are asking for trouble. Another recent incident involved a teen girl who was engaged in horseplay with her boyfriend while the vehicle was in motion. Authorities are unsure of what exactly happened but it is felt that the girl accidentally hit the door handle, opening the door. Not wearing a seat belt, she was thrown out of the vehicle and suffered traumatic brain injury.

Labels: gdl laws, Graduated Driver Licensing, seat belt safety, teen drivers, teen passenger safety, teens and seat belts

Upset? Angry? Emotional? We all get that way. It is a natural part of life and sometimes a natural part of the day. Life and events are out of our control and so we all are thrown hurdles to get through, many times unexpectedly. Dealing with what comes along can be complicated. But what you want to avoid is getting behind the wheel when you are emotional, angry or upset.

Many times people let their emotions get the best of them. When you are driving, you have to be able to give it your full attention. The attitude you have is your state of mind at any given moment, whether that be happy or sad, excited or full of anxiety.

Your state of mind controls how you behave and react to situations. The actions and reactions are a normal part of everyday living and interaction with others. When you are emotional behind the wheel, it can interfere with your ability to think clearly and inadvertently create a mental distraction.

For instance, if you are worried or upset or thinking through a complicated issue while driving, you may not notice your upcoming exit or turn, causing you to miss it or react suddenly. You become an inattentive driver. You may fail to scan the environment ahead or notice debris in the roadway. When you are angry or upset, you may increase your risk taking and pull out in front of another vehicle, cut someone off, or tailgate.

Positive emotions are dangerous too. Even when you've received the best of news there can be a lack of concentration when you get behind the wheel leading to increased reaction times. You can lose your ability to notice what other drivers are doing, anticipate their next moves and determine how you will respond.

Driving when emotions are high can interrupt your ability to process information in the driving environment and incite you to act out your emotions. You can lose your ability to perform skills that require precise timing to complete. Physically, your body can react in many ways including increases in heart beat and respiration rates and spikes adrenaline levels.

Teens' brains are still developing and are very vulnerable to their emotions and the emotions of others. They usually have less means and independence than they would like, which can increase their frustrations and intensify their emotions.

So what do you do?

• Set a good example and choose not to drive when upset.
• Recognize the role emotions play when driving. Look at examples of other drivers on the roadway who maybe mental distracted and discuss the danger they pose together.
• Examine your and your teenager's emotional make up and discuss coping strategies.
• Identify and predict situations that could cause both positive and negative emotions.
• Ask for a commitment from your teen to delay driving when they are emotional or upset. Get a verbal agreement and include it in your Parent & Teen Driving Contract.

What are some coping strategies?

• If you are excited or upset, ask someone else to drive you.
• Give yourself a few minutes and quiet your mind. Close your eyes and take a several deep breaths.
• Remember that you can't control what happens to you, you can only control how you respond to it and many times that determines your ultimate success.
• Separate the actions, reactions and emotions from the people and the situations: John's immature vs. John's acting immature.
• If you can, take a short walk or do some quick exercises to settle your body down.
• Leave a few minutes early to give yourself extra time to get to your destination, so you won't be hurried.

If you become upset while you are driving, pull over to a safe place. Take a few minutes, walk around, and breathe deeply. Avoid the risk and avoid the consequences...Drive with a safe attitude.

Learn more about the Facts Behind Teen Crashes.

April is in full swing and with it has come Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Being observed throughout the United States, the month serves to raise general awareness and point the attention of lawmakers and automakers towards safer regulations to make the roads safer. Aside from the numerous events going on throughout the country, heavy debate has been sparked on the automakers side, as in car technology has now become a large topic of discussion.

Talks in Washington D.C. have involved major discussion over the impact that built in gps and stereo systems are having on the attention span of drivers these days. Lawmakers are calling for the vehicle manufacturers to tone down their entertainment. GPS modules and entertainment/stereo systems are certainly continuing to grow, becoming more complex along with the times.

Just as many are pointing towards automakers to help minimize risk in these times, they car companies are looking for accountability from technology developers. Certainly smart phone developers and portable GPS makers share some responsibility for the impact their products have had, but options are somewhat limited from a lawmaking standpoint.

Automakers are seemingly determined to work out efforts, however. It was reported that they are attempting to work with cell phone developers in an effort to fight cases of distracted driving. The National Transportation Safety Board has called to have more integration with cell phones into the cars, allowing for more hands free use, and eventually a positive impact on the road.

It will take some response from the cell phone developers, however. Right now, these companies have done little to come to the table and discuss possible options. Hopefully the increasing cases of distracted driving will highlight the need for these developers to work on a plan to help minimize future road problems.

Laws relating to distracted driving are heavily different throughout the United States. Around 35 states currently have a full ban on text messaging, while nine have a full ban on the use of hand held cell phone devices. Just recently, the city of Chapel Hill, NC made news by becoming the first town to enact a ban on cell phone use while driving.

The impact of the recent Chapel Hill law, going along with Distracted Driving Awareness Month taking place this month will be far reaching from adults to teenagers. There are a number of states where stricter laws may be necessary to minimize distracted driving cases in the future, while attention will certainly come upon automakers and technology developers as well. All in all, the awareness month in 2012 serves to increase attention to one of the great dangers today and will continue to do so in coming years.

Labels: banning texting, distracted driving, driving distractions, gps, gps tracking system, teen drivers