Road Rules
The statistics are staggering: 16-year-old drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than older drivers. And while some advocates insist that raising the driving age is the only guaranteed way to reduce the number of teen-driver fatalities, safety experts generally agree that the next best way to make the roads safer is for parents to enforce several guidelines.
- Require the use of seat belts.
- Restrict nighttime driving.
- Restrict passengers.
- Supervise practice driving.
- Forbid driving after drinking.
- Choose vehicles for safety, not image.
- Know your state’s laws.
Parents can also help protect their road-bound teens by enrolling them in a driving school. Ask friends and neighbors or contact your local AAA club for recommendations. Then visit the schools and
- Sit in on a class.
- Find out how many fully licensed instructors work for there.
- Inquire about behind-the-wheel sessions.
- Look at the instructional vehicles to make sure they are late-model cars in good condition.
To learn more about these guidelines, download the “Beginning Teenage Drivers” booklet from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. For driving contracts that you and your teen can sign before he or she gets behind the wheel, as well as other downloadable brochures about safe driving, visit the AAA’s public affair’s site.
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