Driving Toward Disaster? Steer Your Teen Away From Marijuana
“Hey, can I borrow the car keys?”
If you’re the parent or caregiver of a teen who has reached driving
age, you may hear this request more often than you would like. But a recent
study might make you stop and think before you hand the keys to your teen driver.
According to data from a Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, about one in six
high school seniors in the United States has driven under the influence of
marijuana.1 Further, 41 percent of teens polled by Students Against Destructive
Decisions/Liberty Mutual said they were not worried about driving after using
illegal drugs.2 The fact is, marijuana does harm a user’s ability to
drive safely—as do other illegal drugs, alcohol, and some prescription
and over-the-counter drugs. Teen drivers already have the highest crash risk
of any age group, and marijuana use can cause more danger for teen drivers,
who do not have much experience on the road.3
What To Know
Marijuana affects a person’s power to focus, coordination,
and ability to react. The drug can make it harder for a driver to judge distances
and react
to signals and sounds on the road.4 These effects can last up to
24 hours after
using marijuana.
Marijuana also may play a role in auto accidents. In 2001, about 38,000 high
school seniors stated that they had an accident while driving under the influence
of marijuana.5
What To Say
The high rate of marijuana use reported by the MTF study, as well as many
teens’ lack
of concern about marijuana use and driving, means that parents and caring
adults must step in. Parents should talk with their teens about the risks and
responsibilities
that come with having a license before a teen begins driving. This should
include a talk about the risks of substance use.
Warn your child about the dangers of using marijuana and the dangers of driving
under the influence of the drug. Also, tell him not to get into a car with
someone who has been using illegal drugs or who has had even one alcoholic
drink. Make sure your child knows to call you (or another trusted adult) if
he can’t get a safe ride home from a party or other event. Tell him to
call even if he has been using substances and agree to pick him up without
yelling at him for being in that situation. Later, stress to him that, while
you do not support this behavior, his safety is your first concern.
What To Do
Here are some other tips on helping your teen driver stay on the road to a
drug-free lifestyle:
Set clear rules of behavior, including rules and limits
for driving. For example, set a curfew for when your teen must have the
car back home (e.g., before dark),
or limit the number of teen riders she can have in the car at one time. And,
of course, make a rule about calling you or another trusted adult if your
teen can’t get a safe ride home.
Follow through with consequences.
Let your teen know that he will not be allowed to drive if he breaks the
rules, and he may lose his license if he
is caught
driving under the influence.
Help your teen choose friends wisely. Encourage
her to find friends who are drug free and warn her about peers who may try
to pressure her to use marijuana
or drive under the influence.
Closely monitor your child’s time
and whereabouts. Car accidents are less likely to occur among teens whose
parents watch them closely.6
Modeling healthy, drug-free behavior is one of
the best ways to ensure that your teen stays under your influence, not marijuana’s.
For many teens, fear of parents’ disapproval is a major reason for
choosing not to use drugs.7 Your child may be growing up, but you still can
affect him in
positive
ways. So use your valuable influence to steer your teen driver in the right
direction.
