The Teen Years: The Deadly Risk Factors

SPEEDING, alcohol consumption and a refusal to wear seat belts pose the biggest threats to young drivers. And the dangers are compounded if the driver is inexperienced.

Yet, the lives of many young people could have been saved if only they made a habit of buckling up before turning on the car’s ignition. A quick look at the following speaks volumes on the life-saving advantages of seat belts.

• Failure to buckle up contributes significantly to fatalities on South African roads
• Seat belts are designed so that the strongest areas of your body - the bones of your hips, shoulders and chest, absorb the forces in a crash
• They prevent you and other occupants from being thrown around the vehicle and against each other
• Seat belts provide the greatest protection against ejection from the vehicle in the event of a collision

These are the rules that you should follow when using seat belts

• Wear the lap/shoulder belt combination adjusted so it is low across the hips and pelvis, and never across the stomach
• Sit at least 25 centimetres away from the steering wheel
• Wear the shoulder belt across the chest and collarbone
• Sit upright with your back to the seat
• Make sure all passengers are wearing seat belts

Injury can occur if

• The belt is worn across the stomach
• The shoulder belt is placed behind the back
• The belt is worn under an arm
• The shoulder belt has excessive slack (more than one 2.5 centimetres)

Speeding

The KwaZulu Department of Transport, through its law enforcement agencies, regularly mounts campaigns to curb speeding on our roads. It is done because it is a known fact that speed kills. The speed at which a vehicle knocks a pedestrian also determines the degree of the injuries sustained. It is a case of: the greater the speed, the worse the injuries.

• A large number of teenagers die each year on our roads as a direct result of speeding
• Peer pressure and alcohol consumption play a part in this
• Driving at about 70km per hour instead of 60km per hour on an eight-kilometre trip will save you less than two minutes before arriving at your destination
• The faster a vehicle is travelling, the greater the chance of serious injury in the event of a crash

Over-the-limit alcohol consumption continues to prove a headache for the people policing our roads. A significant number of young people killed in road accidents had been found to be drinking. The regular portrayal of drinking in adverts on TV, radio and in the print publications as a classy and fun pastime, adds to the problem. The powerful advertisements easily imprint on the minds of the young. But despite all the cleverly devised hype on drinking, the simple truth is: drinking and driving don’t mix ­ because it can kill you. Say this aloud to yourself a dozen times each morning in front of a mirror. It will help.

• Inexperience: you don’t gain real driving skills by just obtaining a driving licence. You gain the skills over time
• Risk-taking behaviour and immaturity: the desire to show off can be very costly to you. Don’t do things to please your friends. Do what you think is right

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