THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR TEENAGERS

Where do we begin on this subject?  Let's start at the top!

THE BRAIN

The National Institutes of Health report that the "executive branch" of the brain, located in the temporal parietal lobes, do not mature until age 25.  This area of the brain is responsible for the ability to weigh risks, make judgments and control impulsive behavior.  Therefore, insight into the possible consequences of a behavior may not be recognized by teenage drivers and/or young adult drivers.  This may result in poor decision making skills when  these drivers are behind the wheel.  Ultimately, we are experiencing far too many teen accidents, injuries and fatalities from vehicular accidents related to their lack of foresight and reduced judgment abilities.   It is not their fault fortunately, the brain matures more and more each year and obviously not all teenagers have an immature  decision making skills.  Just like not all teenagers are the same size and weight.  Despite the initiation of new laws that increase restrictions on the teenage drivers in some states, they are only helpful if they are followed by these young drivers.  As parents we know that our teenagers adopt a philosophy that can be described as "out of sight, out of mind".  Remember when we were young. Go ahead, keep thinking, even if it seems like forever.  Our kids just don't act the same around us as they do with their friends. DUH!   In summary, parental involvement is key to reducing teenager traffic accidents.  There are 15-20 teenagers and young adults dying every day in the United States.  Let's all help to reduce these profoundly tragic statistics.