National Teen Driver Safety Week—October 18-25, 2009
Learning to drive is one of life's milestones. Parents can serve an important role by encouraging teen driver safety throughout the year.
Know Teen Drivers' Risks
Parents are concerned about protecting their teen's health and safety. But not everyone realizes that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. In 2007, more than 4,200 teens aged 15–19 were killed and almost 400,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes.
Graduated Driver Lisencing
Find state-specific information on GDL laws.
Typically, the three stages of GDL are:
- A minimum supervised learner's period.
- An intermediate license (once the driving test is passed) that limits unsupervised driving under higher-risk conditions, such as night-driving or driving with other teen passengers.
- A full-privilege drivers license after completion of the previous stages.
Overall, younger drivers lack experience on the roads and are less likely than older drivers to recognize risky situations. While lack of experience increases teens' crash risk, so does driving with teen passengers while unsupervised. As the number of teen passengers goes up, so does the risk of a crash.
Fortunately, there are proven ways to reduce teen drivers' risk on the roads. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems, combined with parental management, can make a positive difference and make your teen a safer driver.
Know How Much Parents Matter
Believe it or not, when asked whose opinion they listen to and care about most of all, most teens will name their parents. That is why leading experts believe parents play a key role in preventing teen car crashes and deaths.
Talk with your teen about the dangers of driving. Express your concern for his or her safety and well-being. Keep the conversation going over time. And take these steps, which have been proven to reduce serious injury and death:
- Extend your teen's supervised driving period. Help your teen develop the skills he or she needs by providing as many supervised practice driving hours as possible. Include at least 30 to 50 hours of practice over at least six months. Make sure to practice on a variety of road conditions and at different times of day.
- Set the rules of the road. Practice driving will empower your teen. But your rules will provide much needed limits to keep him or her safe. Support the rules that most states have for new teen drivers by including the following:
- Make sure your teen always wears a seat belt.
- Limit your teen's nighttime driving.
- Restrict the number of teen passengers allowed in the car.
- Enforce the rules with a Parent-Teen Driving Contract [pdf 215K]. Discuss your rules of the road with your teen. Talk about why they are important to follow, as well as consequences for breaking the rules. Work with your teen to draft and sign a parent-teen driving contract. You may choose to hang your parent-teen driving contract on the refrigerator door to highlight the importance of safe driving. Let your teen know that following the rules and driving safely will result in greater driving privileges.
After taking these steps, continue to talk often with your teen about his or her driving habits. Believe it or not, your teen is listening to you.
Know How GDL Works
GDL (graduated driver licensing) laws differ by state, but the primary goal and format is the same across the country. Graduated licensing is a three-step process developed to let new teen drivers get their initial experience under low-risk driving conditions.
GDL programs are designed to improve teens' safety and reduce their crash risk. Research has shown that the most comprehensive GDL systems are associated with motor-vehicle crash reductions of up to 40%.
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
4770 Buford Hwy, NE
MS F-63
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348
24 Hours/Every Day - cdcinfo@cdc.gov
