What You Need To Teach Your Teen About The Trunk

Seth Smiley here from the Smiley Law Firm with today’s edition of the Parents of Teen Drivers Facebook Group. Today we are talking about, “What you need to teach your teen about the trunk.”

Trunk safety is a legitimate concern, and there are two main points to consider. One is about actually packing the trunk and what goes inside the vehicle. The other is the danger of someone being trapped in the trunk and how you can get out of that situation.

First up is packing the trunk. There have been cases out there of people being killed or horribly paralyzed in the back seat after being in an accident, which was caused by an improperly packed trunk. Items need to be correctly fastened down to avoid this happening.

If you have an overloaded trunk where everything is loose, and you get into an accident, there will be some danger. If you hit someone head-on, and everything flies forward, or you are rear-ended, and everything gets pushed forward, the people in the back seat will be in danger.

It would be best if you reminded your teen drivers not to put too many things in there. Only take what they need and get it fastened down so that it can’t act as a projectile.

Suitcases, ice chests, and even bookbags could potentially go through the back seat and cause injuries. It is a real concern.

The next point is that in 2001 Congress mandated a law that ensured car companies have a safety latch in the back of a vehicle.

It was due to the danger of audio equipment installers, mechanics, playful children, pranksters, or crime victims potentially getting trapped in the trunk. There was a low but significant amount of people dying from this every year.

Now it is a requirement for there to be a glow-in-the-dark handle in the trunk, which releases the trunk and pops it open.

When you teach your teen about trunk safety, they need to be aware of this feature.

So, “What you need to teach your teen about the trunk” is one thing we don’t think about often, but it is a critical subject. It would help if you taught your teen driver about every aspect of the car.

If you have any input or questions, please comment below.