5 driving risks you need to talk about with your teens

Set a good example by not driving after drinking. Remind your teen that drinking before the age of 21 is illegal, and alcohol and driving should never mix, no matter your age.

2. Buckle up. Every trip. Every time. Everyone — front seat and back.

Lead by example. If you wear your seat belt every time you're in the car, your teen is more likely to follow suit. Remind your teen that it's important to buckle up on every trip, every time, no matter what (both in the front and back seats).

3. Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel. All the time.

Remind your teen about the dangers of texting, dialing, or using mobile apps while driving. Have them make their phone off-limits when they are on the road. But distracted driving isn't limited to phone use. Other passengers, audio and climate controls in the vehicle, and eating or drinking while driving, are all examples of dangerous distractions for teen drivers.

4. Stop speeding before it stops you.

Speeding is a critical issue for all drivers, especially teens. Don't exceed the speed limit and require your teen to do the same. Explain that every time your speed doubles, your stopping distance quadruples.

5. No more than one passenger at any time.

With each passenger in the vehicle, your teen's risk of a fatal crash goes up. Check your state's graduated driver licensing law before your teen takes to the road — it may prohibit any passengers in vehicles with teen drivers.

Half of all teens will be involved in a car crash before graduating from high school, according to the National Safety Council. And it's important to realize that parents are the biggest influencers on their teen drivers, even if they think their kids aren't listening.

Poll results

A new poll released by PCI, found that most parents had talked with their kids about using seat belts all/most of the time (65 percent) and texting while driving (56 percent).

However, only about half of parents have discussed speeding (50 percent), talking on a cellphone while driving (47 percent) or driving under the influence of alcohol (46 percent), and even fewer have touched on subjects such as using social media while driving (42 percent), driving under the influence of marijuana (32 percent) or talking with passengers while driving (16 percent).

"Parents need to take the time to talk with their kids about the many dangers of driving," said Bob Passmore, assistant vice president of policy development and research for PCI.

"Over the past two years, the roadways have become much more dangerous. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that motor vehicle crashes, the leading cause of deaths for teenagers in the U.S., jumped more than 10 percent since 2014. Parents need to set a good example and educate their loved ones to put the phone down and pay attention to the road."

Set a good example

The survey found that nearly all parents who currently drive said they set a good example for their children by avoiding driving while distracted (90 percent) and parents were more likely to say they wear seat belts all or most of the time (77 percent) than non-parents (71 percent).

But parents were more likely than non-parents to say they engage in activities that cause distractions such as talking on a cell phone while driving (24 percent vs. 18 percent, respectively) or eating while driving (27 percent vs. 17 percent, respectively).

The online survey of over 1,000 U.S. parents was conducted in September 2016 by Harris Poll on behalf of PCI.

Related: 10 people die every day during the sumer from a crash involving a teen driver