Tampa Bay Area Audi Urges Parents to Set Driving Curfews for Teens

Jun 13, 2013

Tampa Bay area Audi urges parents to set driving curfews that will keep their teens safer as they slowly turn into experienced drivers. When you look at the statistics, it’s obvious that the most dangerous accidents occur at night. By setting a curfew, parents can protect young drivers from these accident-prone hours.

Alcohol-Related Crashes Mostly Occur at Night

Make no mistake about it. People drink and drive at all hours. You can’t assume that all drivers are sober just because it’s 10 in the morning. The statistics, however, show that fatal accidents involving alcohol almost always happen at night.

The National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration says that 18 percent of fatal crashes during the day involve alcohol. At night, that percentage shots up to 54 percent.

Having your teens come home before drunk drivers pour out of bars onto the street significantly reduces the chances that he or she will have a deadly accident.

Other Dangerous Behaviors Increase at Night

Drunk driving isn’t the only dangerous behavior that increases at night. Studies show that people are more likely to drive over the speed limit once the sun sets. They’re even more likely to drive without their seatbelts on.

Perhaps people feel that the dark offers some anonymity that lets them get away with bad driving. Those people obviously haven’t considered that 1) their license plates are illuminated by lights, and 2) cops have bright lights that make the darkest hour seem like midday.

Set a Curfew That Changes With Experience

Your 16-year-old will argue that it doesn’t matter what time it is. You know better. Even if other drivers behaved perfectly, the darkness makes it harder for inexperienced drivers to see the road, read sigs, and react quickly to dangerous situations.

That’s why it makes sense to set a curfew that changes as your teen gains more experience behind the wheel. A 16-year-old might need to come home by 9 o’clock because she has very little experience driving at night. A 17-year-old, however, who has shown maturity behind the wheel might be able to drive at 11 o’clock or even midnight.

A lot of the danger out there comes from other people, but it also has to do with how your teenager responds to dangerous situations. The curfew should vary from driver to driver, but it’s still important to set rules that will help your teen adjust to the challenges of driving at night.