David Michael: Parents have a role to play in keeping kids safe on the road

Driving a car may very well be the most dangerous thing that your son or daughter does on a daily basis, particularly when he or she is new to the roads.

The human body is not designed to withstand the forces that are generated when a 1500kg car hits a tree and decelerates from 100km/h to 0 in an instant.

The sad truth is that 17 to 19 year olds are twice as likely to be involved in a crash resulting in death than older drivers.

It is also a sad truth that although it is the number of deaths on our roads that hit the headlines, for every one of these deaths, there are 10 serious injuries. For many, these injuries can be life changing.

As parents you cannot be in the car with your children all the time, which is why you have a responsibility to do your best to help prepare your teenager for the challenges on the road, especially at this time of year when many young drivers will be embarking on their first road trip to Leavers.

This is also why the Government is launching a new campaign — Wheelmates — to coincide with Leavers WA this year.

Wheelmates has been designed to appeal to young drivers and encourages real mates to look out for each other.

Your teenagers will be seeing this campaign on their social media feeds, billboards, YouTube, on the radio, and in the pages of this newspaper.

This campaign will run in tandem with the hard-hitting Speeding Shatters Your Excuses campaign I launched a few weeks ago.

This new campaign is a welcome addition to a suite of initiatives the Cook Government recently announced targeted at young drivers.

These included changes to the number of passengers a P-plater can have in the car, incentives to drive safely, and extra funding for the successful PARTY program, which exposes students first hand to the life-changing consequences of road trauma.

As a parent you can also help by firstly ensuring the car that you child is driving or travelling in, is safe and roadworthy.

If the car looks as if it has been modified or is in bad shape — just say no. At a minimum you should check the tyres, lights, oil and water.

Other things you can do to help make your teenager’s first big adventure a bit safer include helping plan the route.

Encourage your young people to share the drive.

It’s good practice to switch drivers every two hours to avoid fatigue.

You might also want to suggest that if there is a passenger in the car, he or she becomes the designated DJ and navigator.

This will help reduce the dangers associated with distraction.

And if you are to give a couple of final pieces of advice as your teenager jumps in the car — remind them to drive to the conditions — slow down if it’s wet, dark, congested or unfamiliar.

And importantly, wear a seatbelt.

You might be shocked to learn that 20 per cent of the people who died on our roads over the past five years were not wearing a seatbelt.

Even if your teenager is not travelling down south, it is still party season.

As a parent, you have a responsibility. If you know your teenager or their friends have been drinking, don’t let them drive. Book a taxi or order an Uber to take them to and from an event.

It just might be the best investment you ever make in your teenager’s future.

David Michael is the Road Safety Minister.