Teens and summer: Free time and free rein can lead to risky behaviors, accidents

By Stephanie Dunnewind
Seattle Times staff reporter

MICHELLE KUMATA / THE SEATTLE TIMES

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most e-mailed articles

If health experts had their way this summer, teens would slather on sunscreen before driving with one platonic friend during daytime hours to a lifeguarded beach.

They can hope, right?

Summer is a high-risk time for injuries to all children, for obvious reasons: they're active outdoors, not ensconced in school all day.

The dangers don't lessen as kids grow older; in fact, teens have the added risks of less supervision, driving their own cars, staying out late, potential drug use and that sense of invulnerability.

"On Fourth of July, the kids with the bad firecracker injuries are always teenagers," said Dr. Fred Rivara, a University of Washington pediatrics professor who works with the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center. "They take apart smaller fireworks to make bigger ones, and we've had teens who have lost whole hands, (or) their eyes."

Compared with other age groups, teens are less likely to take even basic safety precautions such as using seat belts, wearing bicycle helmets or donning life jackets. In King County, adult use of bike helmets is 75 to 80 percent; for teens, that drops in half.

Experts advise parents to keep up the safety messages, noting that research shows young people still look to parents as their top source for health information. Parents need to stay actively involved, keeping track of where and with whom teens are hanging out.

"The benefits of unstructured time is that teens learn to entertain themselves and find new interests," said Dr. Mark Schuster, director of the UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion. "But it's also the time when they're more likely to engage in behavior that might be unhealthy."

Here are some specific summertime dangers for teens, along with prevention tips.

Traffic deaths and injuries

Car crashes are the leading killer of teens, and summertime is the most dangerous time of year. "Kids are out of school and out driving around," said Gina Beretta, program manager for the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Summer parties and late-night work hours might also contribute.

July and August accounted for nearly a quarter of traffic deaths for Washington teens from 1993 to 2001, according to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Drivers in the 15 to 20 age group died in twice as many crashes in July as in February.

Lane errors and speeding are the most common teen driver mistakes in fatal crashes, followed by alcohol and inattention.

Some safety tips:

• Limit passengers. "Every passenger you add increases the risk of a crash, especially for boys," Beretta said.

• Know where your teen is going and discourage "just driving around." A 2003 survey found teen drivers are behind the wheel nearly twice as often during the summer than the school year.

• Offer rides at night, especially for younger drivers. The fatal crash rate for 16-year-old boys jumps from 15 per million vehicle miles traveled in the day to 51 per million at night.

• Emphasize the risk of injuries, such as being scarred or paralyzed, and ask teens to imagine how these would impact their lives.

• Make wearing a seat belt a requirement if they want driving privileges. In Washington, a review of vehicle deaths of children ages 10 to 17 found that seven out of 10 weren't wearing seat belts.

Drinking and drug use

Nearly one out of four new users of marijuana under age 18 said they started in June or July, according to a 2002 report using 1999-2000 data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

Fatal crashes involving teens who drank before driving also spike during the summer, with nearly half occurring June through September.

Tips:

• Require phone check-ins at, say, 12 a.m. and 2 a.m.

• Network with other parents so you know where the parties are.

• If teens feel pressured by friends, suggest they decline by stating the risks they want to avoid, such as "I don't want to lose my driver's license with a DUI" or "I could get kicked off the team."

• Tell teens they will lose car privileges if you discover they drove under the influence.

• Teens who are uncomfortable saying "no" to peers can opt for lesser refusals, such as "I'll pass this time" or "Count me out."

• Don't leave teens unsupervised overnight. Word of mouth can turn a casual get-together into an out-of-control party.

Drowning

In Washington, more teens drown each year than toddlers, with 26 teens drowning from 1999 to 2001, said Dr. Linda Quan, a drowning expert and physician in the emergency department at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center.

"Most parents are familiar with the traffic risks for teens, but many aren't aware how common teen drownings are," said Tony Gomez, manager for injury and violence prevention at Public Health — Seattle & King County.

Drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury deaths among 15- to 19-year-olds in our state.

While younger children tend to drown in pools, for teens the danger is lakes and rivers. Local swimmers are accustomed to pools and easily overestimate their abilities and underestimate the effects of the cold and open-water conditions, Quan said.

Teens are also often out in small boats or rafts without life jackets. Less than a fifth of teens wear life jackets even though "they're the ones drowning in boats," Quan said. "Here in the Northwest, having a life vest should be kind of like having hiking boots."

Tips:

• Buy teens a comfortable life jacket. Insist they take it along when boating or swimming in open water.

• Set a good example and wear a life jacket when out on the water. Otherwise, teens look around and see only little kids with them on. "There are some life jackets out now that are pretty cool," Gomez noted. "They're not the bright orange ones we grew up with."

• Remind teens that cold water can lead to hypothermia even if it's hot outside.

• Encourage teens to swim at beaches with lifeguards.

Sex

Teens are most likely to have sex for the first time in June, according to a survey of nearly 20,000 adolescents published in a 2002 issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family. Researchers at Mississippi State University said the data confirms the "summer vacation" theory, when extra free time, late nights and parties add up to both more romantic pairings and casual flings.

First-time intercourse is often unplanned, meaning it's less likely teens will use contraception, said Schuster, co-author of "Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids To Know About Sex (but were afraid they'd ask)." That puts them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

Tips:

• Sign up for organized activities to fill time. If they can't find a summer job, look at camps, volunteer opportunities or classes.

• Don't assume your child won't have sex because they're going out with a group or with "just a friend." "Virginity is often lost with a person they haven't been dating," Schuster said. "Do not use having a boyfriend or girlfriend as a guideline for when you should start educating kids."

• Call and check in on teens during the day; come home early every once in a while.

Sunburn

Sunburns might seem tame compared with other summer dangers, but every time teens get red skin, it increases their chance of skin cancer. And it can happen even to young people: Melanoma is the most common type of cancer for the 25- to 29-year-old age group, according to Alan Geller, a professor of dermatology at Boston University.

Some research suggests using sunscreen during childhood could cut the lifetime risk of skin cancer by three-quarters. But a large national study of children ages 12 to 18 found that only a third said they routinely used sunscreen. More than eight out of 10 reported at least one sunburn the previous summer and a third got sunburned three or more times, according to the study published in a 2002 edition of Pediatrics.

Tips:

• Buy teens sunscreen with a sun protective factor of at least 15. Look for sophisticated bottles, not ones that look like they're for little kids. Get another small one to keep in a purse or beach bag.

• Emphasize short-term consequences, such as painful skin and unsightly peeling.

• Tell teens that age 12 to 18 is a crucial time for moles. "People grow a lot more moles then than any age before or after," Geller said. "The greater your sun exposure, the more likely you are to have moles." Parents care because moles are a precursor to melanoma, but even if teens don't, they probably don't like their look.

• Don't let teens go to tanning booths. The Pediatrics study found girls are much more likely to use tanning booths than boys, with more than a third of 17-year-old girls trying fake tans. "We have really good studies showing that the more times you use tanning booths, the greater your risk of melanoma," Geller said.

• Dispel common myths. Having an olive complexion is not a bake-in-the-sun free card. "As a general rule, every Caucasian who spends time in the sun is at risk," Geller noted. Likewise, a tan is not protection against burning. "Any time you tan, some cellular damage is going on. There is no such thing as a safe and healthy tan." sdunnewind@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More living headlines...