During the past few months, as I have been making presentations to parents about safe teen driving, I have ended with a suggestion on “Where To Start,” that is, how parents of teen drivers can best prioritize and focus their energies. My formula, intended to be easy to remember, is P-A-C-T-S, which stand for Passengers, Alcohol, Curfews (night driving), Texting, and Seat Belts. I tell parents that focusing on these five biggest dangers in teen driving will not make their teens safe drivers, but at least parents will know that they are focusing on the right things.
The irony of all of this is that I also confess to my audiences that I am not an expert on alcohol. As the saying goes, I know enough to be dangerous. Still, in my talks I generally refer parents to two of the best programs I am aware of for alcohol manage, which are MADD’s power of parents http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/the-power-of-parents/, and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility’s program, http://responsibility.org/underage-drinking. And I will continue to recommend these programs as among the national leaders – great information from organizations with tremendous experience.
Meanwhile, I recently received the link below, which struck me as a very good compilation of national materials and resources about teen driving and alcohol. Although I try to shy away from blog posts that constituent advertising, I concluded that this one has such valuable content for parents of teen drivers that I would agree to pass it along. Here is the link: http://www.losangelesduilawyer.org/facts-about-teenagers-driving-under-the-influence/
