SAFETY is defined as the prevention of loss

…and there is no greater loss than that of a child.

Teen safety is one of the most important topics a parent faces, especially when it comes to driving. The “rite of passage” when parents allow their teen drivers to venture out on their own is very stressful and challenging. Education and prevention are the keys to successfully negotiating this challenge.

The Board of Directors and our Foundation partners want to share tools and tips to make this journey successful. Many times this sharing takes the form of stories… stories of the nature you do not want to experience for yourself.

There are three areas we’d like to focus on in hopes of educating parents and teens to some of the challenges faced on a daily basis:

Hazardous Road Conditions

Changing road conditions either stable or dynamic, present major challenges to all drivers. Existing physical road conditions are those present without outside influence from other traffic or construction related activities.

These are conditions such as sharp curves, limited or non-existent road shoulders, and sharp drop offs from lanes of travel. The potential hazards associated with these conditions add to the complexity of safe travel.

Once physical conditions are coupled with various dynamic (changing) conditions associated with construction activities, there is little room, if any, for error on the part of drivers. Some of these dynamic construction-related conditions may be related to the installation and maintenance of temporary or permanent traffic control devices, limited run-off areas, adjacent equipment and construction activities, and construction related debris near the roadway.

The combination of stable and dynamic road conditions present a real challenge to drivers, and if not properly evaluated and reacted to, can cause serious damage, injury and death. Hazardous road conditions were a significant contribution to Tyler’s vehicle incident.

Vehicle Safety

Without doubt distracted driving is one of the biggest challenges all drivers face. There are many distractions that have the potential to lead to inattention and ultimately to a serious vehicle incident. Two of the most prevalent distractions are related to mobile phones, specifically talking or texting while driving. While phone records indicate Tyler was not talking or texting when his incident occurred, this is a serious challenge for all drivers… teen and adults!

Tyler’s foundation teams up with various other organizations to bring awareness to the potentially fatal habit of talking or texting while driving. We challenge all teens and parent to make a pledge to each other not to talk or text while driving.

Workplace Safety

Many times parents are so glad their child is demonstrating responsibility to find a job and earn money they fail to examine the potential consequences of work place incidents or injuries. Teen workers are afforded the same workplace safety and worker compensation insurance coverage that adults have.

Currently there are three states (Texas, South Carolina, and New Jersey) that do not require employers to provide worker compensation insurance. However employers in those states are required to provide written notification informing employees that they are not covered by state mandated worker compensation insurance.

Stop for a minute and think about the devastating impact, both personal and financial, a serious injury could have on a family. If a teen employee is working for an employer that does not provide insurance, is it really worth the exposure for a minimum wage (or less) job?

Tyler’s employer, like many in the State of Texas, did not provide Worker Compensation insurance for their employees. We challenge all parents of children that work outside of the home to verify they are covered by Worker Compensation insurance, especially if they have a safety sensitive job that requires driving a vehicle.

 The Facts Surrounding Tyler’s Vehicle Incident

Before you evaluate the potential consequences of each situation listed above, you may choose to review the facts surrounding Tyler’s vehicle accident.

In addition we hope this information will increase the awareness of these situations by various Local, State and Federal regulatory agencies that are responsible for protecting its tax-paying citizens, and our teens.