Parents: Get the Facts on Safe Teen Driving

This information comes from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

PARENTS: Get the Facts on Safe Teen Driving
Car crashes—the #1 killer of teens—take about 3,000 young lives every
year. That’s up to eight teen deaths a day that can be prevented. New
drivers—even straight‐A students and “good kids”—are more likely to be
involved in a fatal crash, mostly due to driver inexperience. It’s a fact. The
good news is that you can make a difference by getting involved with your
teen’s driving. Here’s how:

Fact: Proven Steps Save Lives
Practice driving as often as you can with your teen. The more experience
he or she has behind the wheel, the safer they’ll drive. Make sure your
new driver and their passengers always wear seat belts. Prohibit driving
when crashes are more likely to occur—at night and when there are other
teens in the car. And be sure to learn and enforce your state’s teen driving
laws—you can find them at www.cdc.gov/parentsarethekey.

Fact: A Parent‐Teen Driving Agreement Sets the Rules of the Road
Discuss your rules of the road with your teen. Talk about why they are
important to follow, as well as consequences for breaking them. Believe it
or not, your children listen to you, particularly when they know you have
their best interests at heart. Reinforce your talks by working with your
teen to create a parent‐teen driving agreement. You can find a sample at
www.cdc.gov/parentsarethekey.

Fact: Parents Must Lead by Example
Don’t wait until your teen is old enough to drive to start modeling good
driving behaviors. If you talk on the phone, text, speed or drive without
your seat belt, so might your teen.

Fact: Other Parents Need This Information
Share your rules of the road with parents of other teens. Tell the parents
of your teen’s friends about “Parents Are the Key,” because working
together helps save lives.  Take the next step by showing your
support and sharing information on Facebook and Twitter.