Graduated Driving Rules Assist Parents in Protecting Teen Drivers

Over 5,000 teens die annually due to car crashes and many thousands more are injured. In fact, insurance statistics indicate 16-year-old drivers are twenty times more likely to be involved in a car crash than all other drivers.

Experts attribute these statistics to the lack of experience teens have driving a car and their willingness to engage in unsafe driving.

Also, due to the fact that teens drive primarily in the evening, they are at a greater risk of being involved in accidents. Experts increasingly do not believe the required thirty hours of classroom, and six-hours of supervised driving, properly prepares teens for night driving.

Lastly, an often-fatal problem involving teens and cars is peer pressure. This can lead to speeding, reckless driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The good news, however, is that a number of effective steps can be taken by parents to protect their teen driver. Many parents establish 'house rules' about their child's driving prior to a teen passing his driver's test. These rules include curfews, how many passengers may be driven in the teen's car and who those passengers will be, clearly understanding what reckless driving is, etc. The penalty for breaking these rules is losing driving privileges for a specific time.

An important program, being adopted as law in some states, are graduated driving rules. These laws slowly allow greater driving freedoms every few months as the teen driver gains experience.

However, parents may adopt these rules for their teen driver even if their home state has not created such a law. The American Automobile Association suggests the following guidelines for parents setting up graduated driving programs for their teen drivers:

Stage one:
1) with his new driver's license, teen must drive with a licensed adult driver at all times, preferably his or her parent
2) no driving between 10 pm and 5 am or no driving after sunset
3) driver and all passengers must wear safety belts
4) no use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs
5) teen must remain ticket-free and crash-free for 6 months before moving up to the next stage

Stage two:
1) teen must drive with a licensed adult driver during nighttime hours, preferably his or her parent
2) teen allowed to drive unsupervised during daytime hours
3) passengers restricted to one nonfamily member during daytime hours
4) no use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs
5) driver and all passengers must wear safety belts
6) teen must remain ticket-free and crash-free for 12 months before moving up to the next stage

Stage three:
1) teen must be at least 18 years old or have driven at least 2 years at the previous stage
2) no restrictions on driving as long as the teen driver remains ticket-free and crash-free for 6 months
3) no use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs
4) all passengers must wear safety belts

These graduated rules are being used by families throughout the country to assure their new teenage driver does not drive dangerously. It is also evidence that, as always, parents remain the first line of defense in protecting their children.