Underage Driver

From the back seat, children see Mom and Dad driving the car on every trip.  Some children actually think they know how to drive because they have seen others do it thousands of times.   Children learn almost everything by watching what people do; but driving is NOT something that can be mimicked.  Driving is definitely a skill and it takes hundreds of hours (probably years) to become a proficient driver.

Children many times do not understand the difference between driving a car in a video game verses the real thing.  They are even allowed to ‘drive’ around the neighborhood in their exact replica smaller version of the real thing.   Grabbing the car keys and getting behind the wheel of a 3000 pound lethal weapon is not fun or cute…it can be deadly.

Children as young as 4-years-old have been known to “take the family car for a ride.”  Even the most well behaved children are curious and may not understand the very serious and often times fatal consequences of attempting to drive a “real” car.

New Study Released on Nontraffic Injuries and Fatalities in Young Children – 9/27/2017