1. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teens. Plus, the number of teen crash fatalities tends to rise during the summer months, according to a AAA analysis.
These accidents are often preventable. Parents can help by modeling appropriate behavior, such as by turning off or silencing cellphones prior to driving, and by discussing what safe driving looks like, says Dietrich. These actions should begin at an early age and continue once a teen is licensed.
"I have the regret of, I didn't do a good enough job of modeling that normal, good driving behavior for Sydnee," says Dietrich. "I live with the guilt that she learned some of the behaviors from watching me."
[Read about how teens learn texting while driving from parents.]
The National Safety Council and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offer online resources for parents of teen drivers.
2. Often people other than the teen driver get injured or killed. And all states have graduated driver licensing laws, which can include restrictions on passengers for teen drivers.
Dietrich had rules for his daughter that were stricter than laws in his state, he says. The night of the crash, she was only allowed to have one passenger in the car, but actually had two.
"There's lots of rules thrown at teenagers," he says. Teens need an explanation as to why those rules are important – something he says he didn't provide to his daughter – or else they will rebel, he says.