As medical director of Emergency Services at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Dr. Barry Gilmore has witnessed countless tragic injuries and deaths resulting from careless driving. Gilmore says if teenagers would really think about the consequences, they would try to be better drivers.

“Kids die everyday from injuries resulting from being distracted while driving – and they shouldn’t. We’ve got to get a grip on this situation. I really hope we can convince kids that texting and driving is deadly,” said Gilmore.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.  Traffic accident rates for 16-to 19-year-old drivers are higher than those of any other age group.

The Text Factor
There are many reasons teenagers are more likely to have an accident, but talking and texting on a cell phone while driving ranks highest on the list. When kids text and drive, it forces them to look down at the phone causing them to swerve, miss stop signs, red lights or even people who could be crossing the road.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers who are texting can be more than 20 times more likely to crash than non-distracted drivers.

Most teens engage in distracted driving even though almost all of them are aware that it’s dangerous. This is according to a survey of nearly 2,000 male and female teen drivers ages 16 to 19 conducted in May 2010 by the American Automobile Association and Seventeen Magazine. Almost nine in 10 teenage drivers (86 percent) have driven while distracted, even though 84 percent say they know they shouldn’t, the survey found. More than one-third of the respondents said they nearly crashed because of distracted driving.

Teens Admit to Texting and Driving
The survey also found that teens who text while driving sent an average of 23 text messages during drive time per month. They are also some of the most vulnerable drivers on the road due to inexperience – and adding cell phones to the mix only compounds the dangers.

Gilmore says, “It seems harsh to speak so boldly, but teens will only continue to be critically injured, or killed if they text and drive. That is the message parents should continue to tell their driving teenagers. Just like drinking and driving, texting and driving don’t mix.”

With the recent media coverage of the teen pregnancy issue in Memphis, you might be wondering how soon is too soon to talk to your child about sex.

Many parents want to delay the conversation as long as possible, but it’s an important discussion to have. Arming your child with the right information is key for preventing unsafe sexual behavior.

Sandra Madubuonwu, MSN, CNS, RN, is supervisor of Le Bonheur’s Nurse-Family Partnership program – an outreach program that offers at-home prenatal care for low income women during their first pregnancy and through the first two years of their child’s life. She is also a mother of three teenage children.

“Having a conversation about sex with your children is so important,” says Sandra. “It is a lack of information that leads to unsafe sexual behavior.”

And that conversation should begin at an early age, she says, starting with teaching your kids the appropriate names for body parts. Parents should also teach their children at an early age that it is never OK for anyone to touch these parts.

As far as “the birds and the bees” talk, Sandra says there is no specific age designated as the right age to initiate this conversation. She recommends broaching the subject when your child is in the fifth grade or in the early stages of middle school.

“What you don’t want is for your kids to get the wrong information,” she says. “They will hear information from their peers, and it likely won’t be the right information.”

Through her work in community outreach, Sandra has heard a wide range of peer-created rumors about sex. Among the rumors – some think drinking alcohol and jumping up and down after sex will prevent pregnancy. Make sure that, as your children’s most trusted source, you’re giving them accurate information about sex and dispelling all rumors.

Parents don’t have to be explicit when they talk about sex, but they should be honest. Start by asking them what they already know about sex. Make sure you validate what they say if it’s true, and don’t make them feel embarrassed.

For parents who might be nervous to bring it up, Sandra says to use teaching moments – something that makes the conversation timely. The recent media coverage of teen pregnancy is an excellent teaching moment, she says.

“Tell your kids, ‘I want to talk about what’s been in the news lately. What do you think of teen pregnancy,’” Sandra suggests.

Teach your kids the consequences of unsafe sex, like pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Parents should not assume their children already know the basic facts. Tell them that diseases they might have heard of – AIDS, HIV, etc. – are passed along through unprotected sex. Talk about the bright future ahead of them, and explain to them how their goals and ambitions can be affected by having sex.

Many parents also wonder which is best – promoting abstinence or talking about safe sex. There is no right or wrong answer, Sandra explains.

“It’s a family decision based on culture and religion, but regardless of your beliefs, you must have a conversation about sex with your kids,” she says.

Susan A. Helms, R.N., M.A.L.S., director of injury prevention and Safe Kids at Le Bonheur, says she is frequently asked by parents what they can do to be sure their teenagers are safe drivers.

First, it is important to know that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.  Traffic accident rates for 16- to 19- year old drivers are higher than those of any other age group. Between 2004 and 2008, 3,100 youth ages 10 and older were treated at Le Bonheur Children’s because of a motor vehicle accident; seven died.

What causes teenage drivers to be such risky drivers?
There are many reasons, but talking and texting on a cell phone while driving ranks very high on the list. When texting and driving, it forces you to look down at your phone causing you to swerve, miss stop signs, red lights, or even pedestrians.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers who are texting can be more than 20 times more likely to crash than non-distracted drivers.

Most teens engage in distracted driving even though almost all are aware that it’s dangerous, according to a survey of nearly 2,000 male and female teen drivers ages 16 to 19 conducted in May 2010 by the American Automobile Association and Seventeen magazine. Almost nine in 10 teenage drivers (86 percent) have driven while distracted, even though 84 percent say they know they shouldn’t, the survey found. More than one-third of the respondents said they nearly crashed because of their own or someone else's distracted driving.

The survey also found that teens who text while driving sent an average of 23 text messages monthly while driving. A quarter of all teens admit to texting behind the wheel. “Teen drivers are some of the most vulnerable drivers on the road due to inexperience, and adding cell phones to the mix only compounds the dangers, “said Helms.

The Department of Transportation, Seventeen magazine and AAA are trying to convince teens to change their habits by launching a contest that will run from today until Sept. 10 to raise awareness among teens about the dangers of talking and texting while driving. The contest challenges teens to develop a catchy, creative anti-distracted driving video to promote safe driving, which they can upload and share with other teens.  The best video will win a $2,000 prize and be featured on Seventeen.com, AAAExchange.com, Distraction.gov and at the Department of Transportation's Distracted Driving Summit on Sept.21.  More information about the contest can be found here: seventeen.com/twosecond.

As the U.S. Department of Transportation opens a summit on distracted driving, attention is being focused on the dangers of cell phone use and texting while driving.  Safe Kids believes that more distracted driving measures on the federal and state level will only help improve safety on the roads; however, we can all do our part to help stop distracted drving today!  Join us in signing the Pledge to Stop Distracted Driving and commit to stop using your hand-held electronic device while driving.  This includes features such as texting, calling, using GPS- anything that takes your attention off the road.  It's a simple step that will help keep our roads safer for children, teens and adults!

Visit www.safekids.org to sign the Pledge today!