Many drivers find themselves distracted by the numerous features cars have to offer these days, as well as portable devices, such as cell phones. These gadgets draw unnecessary attention away from the road, creating dangerous driving conditions. When the car and gadgets become the responsibility of an inexperienced and over-confident teen driver, the mix sometimes results in tragedy.

It has been estimated that teens between the ages of 15 and 17 account for $34 billion in the total cost of motor vehicle accidents across the U.S. Text-messaging has become comparable to drunk driving because it leads to just as many motor vehicle deaths. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of teen fatality in the U.S., accounting for one in three teen deaths. American Family Insurance, in cooperation with DriveCam, has been making great efforts to reduce the amount of teendriver deaths.

Recognizing the need to help teens improve their driving habits, American Family Insurance implemented the Teen Safe Driver program in 2007. The Teen Safe Driver program is an optional and totally free plan offered to American Family Insurance clients. The program allows parents to supervise and coach the driving habits of their teen drivers through DriveCam’s small, wireless device attached behind the rearview mirror of the teen’s vehicle. The device is activated by wayward driving patterns, such as sudden braking or collision. It then captures and saves several seconds preceding and following the trigger event, including sights and sounds inside and outside the vehicle. These saved events are downloaded and assigned a risk score by DriveCam, allowing parents to track their teen’s behavior.

Steve Witmer, spokesman for American Family Insurance, says teens participating in the program eventually come around to value its intent. “Some teens are initially annoyed. But, for the most part, they come to appreciate that they are learning about their own driving behavior,” he says. “74 percent of teenagers taking part in Teen Safe Driver for at least six months conclude that it was a positive experience, and 80 percent of them say their friends should also use the program.”

While this program may work for some drivers, crash statistics remain high among teen drivers, and the number of crashes caused by distracted drivers is growing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2006 that distracted drivers account for almost 80 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes in the U.S. Many states have considered a ban on such distractions, like texting while driving, with harsh penalties. However, this kind of action may not be the solution entirely.

Teen Safe Driver provides the risk score on the driving report of every triggered incident. Sherry Watson, an American Family Insurance agent, says she hopes that seeing is believing. “When teens see their report from DriveCam, it forces them to acknowledge their risky driving behaviors, such as texting, which causes the sudden braking, or applying makeup, which causes the swerving. As a result, they are able to cease their behaviors and, thus, reduce future injuries to themselves and their friends and minimize the camera from being triggered in the future,” she says.

American Family Insurance has been recognized for its work in attempting to reduce these numbers, earning the 2008 E-Fusion Award from A.M. Best. Watson says that she hopes that these lessons learned from the Teen Safe Driver program continue creating a safe-driving trend. “Behaviors are learned early, and if we can minimize risky driving behaviors early on, then those gooddriving habits will translate into future behaviors and, thus, be a winwin situation for both the consumer and American Family Insurance.” ¶