WHY A SAFE TEEN DRIVING BLOG FOR PARENTS?
MY REASONS AND MY PLAN
In the post on this blog entitled, “How I Became An Advocate For Safe Teen Driving.” I have explained the personal odyssey that led to my immersion in this issue and my becoming a “message spreader,” if you will.
But why a blog? Well, I surveyed the Internet and the blogosphere for “safe teen driving.” The blogs that I found fall generally into these categories:
- by parents, providing basic tips on instruction;
- by driving instructors affiliated with a driving school;
- by personal injury lawyers (as a public service, of course!);
- by public officials discussing a specific state’s teen driving laws;
- by providers of commercial products, such as GPS systems; and
- by health care providers and injury prevention professionals.
Thus, I have found no blog written specifically by a parent for parents of teen drivers and focusing on good, safe, parent decision-making about when and how they should supervise teen driving, as opposed to providing instruction on how to handle a vehicle.
Second, my two years of studying teen driving has led me to these realities:
- Driving is the leading cause of death in the United States of people under age 20;
- Much of the literature available to parents focuses on teaching teens to operate a vehicle and provides only cursory warnings about “being careful”;
- In fact, our culture, through advertising and entertainment, more regularly glorifies speeding and risky driving than highlights its dangers;
- With parents and families so busy, scheduled, and stressed for time, good decisions about teen driving are too often overtaken by convenience;
- While no one can dictate to a parent how to raise his or her teenager, parents of teen drivers should make their decisions – and push back against their demanding, insistent teens when necessary – based on a full appreciation of driving’s dangers; and
- From my experience as the father of a teen who died while driving, as well as my other safe teen driving activities in the past two years, I believe I have a platform and credentials to be a credible source on these issues.
My plan is to post a new article on the 1st and 15th day of each month. Listed below are the topics I intend to write about, in approximately the order I will tackle them, although the list and the order may change as the blog develops and parents comment on what is most helpful to them. Thus, after my first post, entitled “Why There Is No Such Thing As A Safe Teen Driver,” I will address the following topics:
- The Difference Between “Purposeful” and “Recreational” Driving
- Baseline Dangers Of Teen Driving, And Factors That Enhance The Risk
- How to Negotiate A Parent-Teen Contract
- How to Manage Nighttime Curfews and Exceptions
- How to Prepare and Keep A Driving Instruction Training Log
- Passengers: The Underestimated And Misunderstood Risks
- Parent Attitudes About Teen Driving
- Electronic Devices and Dangerous Games
- Choosing The Best Car For A Teen
- Teens’ “Need for Speed”
- Why Doesn’t Teen Driving Literature Warn Parents About Dangers?
- Why Do We Build Cars That Go More Than 80 mph?
- Challenges For Police In Enforcing Teen Driving Laws
- Insurance Companies and Policies Covering Teen Drivers
- Teen Drivers And The Cost of Gasoline
- Tickets, Citations, Court Appearances, Convictions, Suspensions, and Revocations
I hope that these posts will provide parents of teen drivers with useful perspectives.
hi tim…just to let you know, i plan on enlightening parents (during their mandatory 2-hour class), not only with the information you’re providing, but about your blog…and i just want to say how sorry i am for your loss. i clearly remember reading and talking about reid’s crash with my students…
thank you for taking the time to educate…as bittersweet as it is for you. we can only hope parent’s take action…
best regards,
angela brooks
avon driving school
Dear Tim, First of all I am so sorry for your loss. As the mother of a 17 y/o daughter I can’t even fathom what you’ve been through.
I’m writing to share with you a program down here in GA called “Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E.” P.R.I.D.E. stands for Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Error. The program is put on by GTIPI, Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institue which is an extension program of the University of Georgia. Most of the instructors are in law enforcement, however there are a few of parent volunteers too. I won’t go into all the details about the class because you can check out the website. One piece of news not on the website is that, from what I understand, the State of GA is considering Legislation to make P.R.I.D.E. a requirement of the GDL process. GA already requires the parents to go to a Parent/Teen class as part of Driver’s Ed and I don’t know if they would combine the two or what.
Good luck with all that you’re doing. I’m sure yous son is watching you and is very proud!
Dear Parents:
On Oct. 22 and then again on Oct. 23rd, Connecticut lost two more teenageers on its roads. The first, a sixteen year old boy and the second a seventeen year old girl. The boy had three other teens in his car; all were injured, one critically. He was not allowed under state law to have those passengers with him. The second fatality, the girl, was alone. Speed was almost certainly a factor in both crashes.
Please speak to your teen drivers every day about driving safely. Tell them how much you love them and tell them how devastated you would be if something happened to them. Take nothing for granted. Do not expect that they will always do the right thing. Use every opportunity to engage in dialogue. Keep the lines of communication open. Involve family, friends, and neighbors to help you in this effort, to inform you if they see your teens engaging in risky behavior. Assure your teens that there will be no repercussions if they call you to pick them up because they drank alcohol. Do not grumble over having to drive them places with their friends. Don’t make them feel that they are inconveniences. Be grateful for every day you have them and let them know it. They may just think twice before doing something that they won’t live to regret.
This comes from a driving instructor who never wants to attend a student’s funeral.
Hi Tim,
I’m sorry to hear of your lose. I am a mother of a 17 yr old. My son will be going for his permit in the next couple of weeks. I coach my son everyday of the seriousness and responsibility behind the wheel, i tell him not only for his life but the lives of others, i discuss drugs and alchol use with him everyday. I have given my son Drug test, not because i dont trust him but because it puts me at ease knowing that this is one thing i dont have to worry about. it gives me great pleasure to say that his drug test came back negative. I tell him driving is a huge responsibility and it should not be taken lightly. I have to say that i am very nervous about my son driving. I can only send him out driving with the words that i have engraved in him and Pray that he follows thru.
Thank you for this informational website.
Iris (Manchester)
I know one thing – You’re committment to reaching the parents of teens will indeed have positive effects. A split second of distraction can lead to severe and devastating consequences. This is particularly so with teens, who many not fully grasp how dangerous driving an automobile really is. Keep fighting the good fight!