Parent Tips
Set the Example. "Practice what you preach" is an important rule that must be followed. Drive safely long before your teen receives a learner's permit. If you don't want your son or daughter talking on a cell phone or eating while driving, don't do those things while driving. Always wear a seat belt. Make sure you're not speeding or tailgating. Try not to drive if you're angry or tired.
Practice, Practice, Practice. Be sure to devote at least 50 hours to teaching your teen to drive. It's the single most important factor in developing a safe driver.
Keep it interesting. Vary the routes, time of day, and driving conditions to give the new driver in the family confidence in a wide range of driving situations.
Gradually introduce new privileges. Once your teenager receives his license, it may be tempting to give him carte blanche to drive where he wants, when he wants, and with whom he wants. But research shows that night driving, driving with passengers, and driving without a destination are all factors that contribute to high crash rates. Remember to set ground rules before he gets his license.
No passengers for at least six months. Research shows that a teen's risk of being involved in a crash increases exponentially with each adolescent passenger. Until you're sure your child can manage passengers and other distractions responsibly, set a "no peer passengers" rule unless an adult is along for the ride. When he or she is ready, start by allowing only one passenger. Then gradually increase the number of teen passengers allowed in the car. Teach your child that it's OK to tell passengers, "Please don't distract me while I'm driving."
Discuss the route. Before letting your teen head out alone, make sure the route is on well-practiced roads. Restrict trips to those with a purpose and on low-speed roads.
Talk about unsafe situations. Discuss ways your child can avoid them.
No nighttime driving for at least six months. A teens' crash risk increases at night. For the first six months after licensure, your son or daughter shouldn't drive after 9:30 p.m. or 10 p.m. Then gradually allow your teen to drive later, perhaps by half-hour increments.
Wait to buy your teen a car. It is not recommended to buy a teen driver a car immediately. Instead for the first year or so after licensure, let your child share the family car (a later-model mid-sized to large sedan is safest). This will allow you to control vehicle access and to agree on conditions of use (wearing a seat belt, no passengers, no cell phone, and responsibility for gas/repairs, etc).
Teach your teen to "scan" for hazards. Scanning surroundings for potential hazards is particularly difficult for a young driver. During your supervised driving practice, remind your son or daughter to keep an eye on the traffic several cars ahead. Also stress the importance of looking to the sides for brake lights and traffic signals, as well as hazards such as roadblocks, pedestrians, or emergency vehicles.
What Parents of Teenagers Can Do?
With or without a graduated licensing law, parents can establish rules based on the graduated model.
In particular:
Don’t rely solely on driver education. High school driver education may be the most convenient way to learn skills, but it doesn’t necessarily produce safer drivers. Poor skills aren’t always to blame. Teen attitudes and decision-making matter more. Young people naturally tend to rebel. Teens often think they’re immune to harm, so they don’t use safety belts as much and they deliberately seek thrills like speeding. Training and education don’t change these tendencies. Peer influence is great but parents have much more influence than they are typically given credit for.
Know the law. Become familiar with restrictions on beginning drivers. Enforce the rules.
Restrict night driving. Most young drivers’ nighttime fatal crashes occur from 9 p.m. to midnight, so teens shouldn’t drive much later than 9. The problem isn’t just that such driving requires more skill. Late outings tend to be recreational, and even teens who usually follow the rules can be easily distracted or encouraged to take risks.
Restrict passengers. Teen passengers in a vehicle can distract a beginning driver and/or lead to greater risk-taking. Because young drivers often transport their friends, there’s a teen passenger problem as well as a teen driver problem. About 6 of every 10 teenage passenger deaths (59%) during 2003 occurred in crashes with a teen driver. While night driving with passengers is particularly lethal, many fatal crashes with teen passengers occur during the day. The best policy is to restrict teenage passengers, especially multiple teens, all the time.
Supervise practice driving. Take an active role in helping your teenager learn how to drive. Plan a series of practice sessions in a wide variety of situations, including night driving. Give beginners time to work up to challenges like driving in heavy traffic or on the freeway. Supervised practice should be spread over at least six months and continue even after a teenager graduates from a learner’s permit to a restricted or full license.
Remember that you’re a role model. New drivers learn a lot by example, so practice safe driving. Teens with crashes and violations often have parents with poor driving records.
Require safety belt use. Don’t assume that belt use when you’re in the car with your 16-year-old means belts will be used all the time, especially when your child is out with peers. Remember that belt use is lower among teenagers than older people. Insist on belts all the time.
Prohibit drinking. Make it clear that it’s illegal and highly dangerous for a teenager to drink alcohol. While alcohol isn’t a factor in most crashes of 16-year-old drivers, even small amounts of alcohol are impairing for teens.
Choose vehicles for safety, not image. Teenagers should drive vehicles that reduce their chances of a crash and offer protection in case they do crash. For example, small cars don’t offer the best protection in a crash. Avoid cars with performance images that might encourage speeding. Avoid trucks and sport utility vehicles — the smaller ones, especially, are more prone to roll over.
--National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety