Have you or your teenager have ever been ticketed for a moving violation or involved in an auto accident? If so, you know it can be frustrating, costly, even life-altering and tragic. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), auto accidents are the number-one killer of 15 to 20 year olds in the United States. Here are some tips from the NHTSA and KidsHealth.com to help you and your teen travel safely.

Common Causes
Accidents can be caused by a variety of things sometimes at the most unexpected times, but there are certain things we know that can help us be on the alert. For example, half of all teen traffic deaths occur between 6 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Sunday. One out of every five teen drivers killed in crashes is intoxicated. In addition to intoxication and weekend driving hours, we know that other common causes include:

• driver error
• drug use
• night driving
• passenger distraction
• reckless driving
• road rage
• speeding
• weather

Simple Solutions
Based on what we know about the causes of accidents, here are some basic things you can teach your teen to stay out of harm's way and minimize damage if you do have an accident.

• Be extra careful at night and in bad weather.
• Choose a safe vehicle.
• Don't drink and drive.
• Follow the speed limits (maximums and minimums).
• Keep your attention on your driving and the road ahead.
• Stay calm.
• Wear your seat belt.
• Consider taking a driver education class or defensive driving course. Being careful and gaining more driving experience will go a long way toward helping your teen become a safe driver.

	Driving Tips from People Who Know Ryan Buckholtz was a teenager learning to drive in Maryland back in 1995 when several of his classmates were involved in serious car accidents. In response, as a community service, Ryan started a Web site, www.teendriving.com, to help other teens learn to drive more safely. Through the years, millions of teens, parents, teachers, and police from all over the world have sent safe-driving tips to the site. Here are a few. When a light turns green, make sure the intersection has cleared before you go. Use your turn signal to indicate that you want to turn or change lanes. Turn it on to give the cars behind you enough time to react before you make your move. Leave yourself plenty of time to reach your destination. Don't talk on your cell phone, put on makeup, comb your hair, or eat while driving. If you need to make a call, pull off the road to a safe spot and park. Don't drive like you own the road; drive like you own the car.