“Teen drivers have a higher rate of fatal crashes, mainly because of their immaturity, lack of skills, and lack of experience. They speed, they make mistakes, and they get distracted easily – especially if their friends are in the car.”
Four years from today, at seventeen years old, our first grandchild will sit behind the wheel, permitted to drive unsupervised.
How knowledgeable and skilled will he be?
What lessons will have prepared him to enter the driving world and come out unharmed every time?
Will he and his parents participate in the Graduated Driver’s License program?
How many of the adult driving patterns he observed while sitting in the back seat will be retained?
How will he handle the pressure?
How will the laws and rules he has learned impact his driving? Should I start worrying now?
Do you know that there are Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) programs around the country? They provide practice periods, limit driving under high-risk conditions for newly licensed drivers, and require greater participation from parents as their teens learn to drive. Also, research indicates that GDL systems are associated with around a 19% reduction for injury-related crashes and about 21% for fatal crashes for 16-year-olds.
“Parents can help their teens be safer by knowing and following their state’s GDL laws.”
In some countries it is even required by law that new drivers place a yellow New Driver sign on the car’s rear window. These signs alert other drivers and add a layer of accountability to the novice driver.
