It’s hard to pry a cell phone out of the hands of a teenager. Whether on the couch, at school or even at the dinner table, it seems like every teen has a phone glued to their hands.

Have you ever tried talking to someone while their texting away? It’s impossible. If they are this distracted, how much worse will it be when they are behind the wheel of a car?

In 2014 over 431,000 people were injured in distracted driving crashes and 10% of all drivers, ages 15-19, involved in fatal crashes are distracted. These are some big numbers to combat but, with the help of our friends at the Maria Tiberi Foundation, the Mid-Ohio School has been working to fight distracted driving and promote Maria’s Message.

Maria Tiberi was a graphic design student at Ohio State University when she collided with the back of a semi-truck at 53 miles per hour, fatally injuring her. At some point before the accident, Maria had become distracted, leading to her tragic end. Now, Maria’s family works to help prevent this horrific story from happening to others.

The most important part of defensive driving is being alert and able to react to any situations that arise. During our Honda Teen Defensive Driving Program, we teach the basics of how to be a good driver but also include in-car wet braking drills, emergency lane change/collision avoidance drills, skid car drills simulating weather conditions such as ice, snow and rain. All these road hazards that will come up in your teenagers driving careers and they need to be alert and ready for it.

Defensive driving is the best way for anyone to drive and your teenager should learn how as early as possible. The Honda Defensive Driving Program starts March 18th and runs until October 22nd on select dates. For added bonding time, and a refresher on your own defensive driving skills, check out our Double-Up Days! Visit drivemidohio.com for more details.