Teenage Drivers
By Heather Hales, senior editor

Many, many years ago when I was 19 I was heading home after picking up our family dog from the groomers. I was doing about 45mph when I approached an intersection, the light turned yellow and there was not enough time for me to stop so I proceeded through the intersection. A woman waiting to make a left hand turn from the opposite direction misjudged my speed and turned into my fender. In the blink of an eye, I became a statistic; one of the millions of teenagers involved in auto accidents every year.

Teenagers have the highest crash risk of any age group, about four times higher than older drivers. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety the problem is worse with 16-year-old drivers because of immaturity and lack of driving experience.

While there is no way to prevent teen drivers from having auto accidents, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety agrees our role as parents can make a big difference. Parents are in charge and should act like they are in charge as their teens begin driving. While this may create some tension between you and your young driver, it is important to make sure your child doesn't pay for the price of freedom with their lives.

Tips for Parents

Be a Good Role Model
From the day your child was born they have watched and modeled your every move. So drive the way you want them to drive. As they have throughout your child's life, your actions will speak louder than words. You'll gain your teens trust and increase your credibility by driving in a responsible manner.

Supervise Practice Driving
Many schools have drivers education classes during the school year and summer. This class allows your child the opportunity to learn the laws of driving safely, and practice driving with another adult. But don't leave your teens learning experience strictly in the hands of their teacher. Schedule a variety of different times to practice in as many conditions as possible. It takes a lot of time and patience on both ends, but the more time spent practicing, the greater your level of comfort.

"When I got my learners permit, my dad started me out in an large empty parking lot - I wasn't allowed to use the gas peddle, only the break. Once I mastered the empty parking lot, he took me to a state park where there wasn't much traffice and I had to maintain the 25 mph speed limit up and down hills and around curves. We also used our drive to and from early morning seminary as additional practice time. At 5:45 am, we had minimal traffic and it really helped me learn how to handle the car, and helped my dad have confidence in my abilities to follow the rules of the road." Kathleen Gordon-Ross, Wakarusa Valley Ward, Topeka Kansas Stake.

Baby Steps to Driving Independence
Just because your teen has a drivers license, doesn't mean they need to have immediate free reign of the roads. SafeParents.com and Parentsofyoungdrivers.com suggests some of the following "stepping stones" for new drivers:

• Ease into complete driving freedom. For example allow the distance from home to expand a little each month.
• Allow driving only on certain types of roads, perhaps saving the freeways for a more experienced driver.
• For the first couple months of driving, limit unsupervised driving after 9 p.m. Essential activities such as work or sports may be exempted.
• Limit the time your teen spends driving on weekends, especially during the first 6 months of driving.

Driver and Passenger Limits
While it might seem easier to have your new teenager driver help with the family driving responsibilities, think again. The more passengers there are in the car, the greater the risk for an accident.

“Collectively, findings from these studies indicate that the presence of passengers strongly increases crash risk for teenage drivers; the more passengers the greater the risk. For example, in one study the presence of one passenger almost doubled the fatal crash risk compared with driving alone. With two or more passengers, the fatal crash risk was five times as high as driving alone (Doherty et al.,1998). Results were similar for male and female teenage drivers. There is excess risk for young drivers with passengers both day and night. (Teenage Passengers in Motor Vehicle Crashes: A Summary of Current Research Allan F. Williams December 2001 page 3)”

Set limits as to who your child can transport and limit who your teenager can be a passenger with. Consider the following — Allow only your teen as the driver and zero passengers for at least one month. Then allow one passenger for a month, then two.

“Personally, my parents restricted my passenger privileges – I could not ride in a car driven by a teenager my parents did not know, AND they had to have been a licensed driver for a least 6 months.” Heather Hales, Alma 6th Ward, Chandler Arizona Alma Stake.

Driving Contracts
Driving is a privilege, not a right. Teens must understand their responsibilities in order to keep this privilege. Establish specific rules and guidelines with your teen so they understand what is expected.

Many parents write up a driving contract between themselves and their teenage driver. This helps the teenager understand the serious nature of driving a car, and it states in writing what you expect from them as drivers. Here are a few places where you can find sample contracts:

www.ipromiseprogram.com
www.legalnews.net/drivingK.htm
www.safedrivingtest.com

If the rules are violated, make sure the consequences are clear. Stick to what you have said. If you don't follow through on the consequences for their actions when there are violations, you'll lose your credibility.

Require Safety Belt Use
When children are younger than five they need to be in a car seat/booster seat. So many parents are vigilant in making sure their young children are buckled up. As soon as they are old enough to ride without a car seat, parents are becoming increasingly lax about their teenagers buckling up.

“Belt use among high school students is lower than among other occupants in passenger vehicles. Even when adults are driving and using belts themselves, many teens riding with them aren't buckling up. This is a finding of a recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety survey of teenage belt use. (May 2002 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)”

Insist that your children/teenagers ALWAYS buckle up, not only is it the law in all 50 states, but it just may save their life.

It's also important to make sure your teen understands that when they are the driver, they are responsible for their passengers and must make them buckle up - no matter what their age. If they aren't buckled up, the car doesn't move.

Drugs and Alcohol
Don't forget to have this discussion with your teen. Even though they've been taught since they were small drugs and alcohol are harmful and we don't drink and drive, it doesn't hurt to have the discussion again. They not only need to be reminded about the dangers of driving under the influence, but to be observant of their friends and make sure they don't drive home with anyone who might be under the influence. Keep the lines of communication open so they feel comfortable calling you for a ride home.

1. Learner’s permit
2. Intermediate or provisional period
3. Full-privilege license