Safe Teen Drivers: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Prepare your teen before handing over the keys

Your teenager may be a straight-A student. Your teenager may be extraordinarily mature. But the fact is he/she doesn’t have enough experience on the road to always make smart, safe decisions. Talk to your child. For more information, please visit www.nysdmv.com/youngerdriver/default.html.

No child deserves to be a statistic

Know the shocking facts and educate your teen on the consequences of reckless driving.¹

Car crashes are the number one cause of death for U.S. teens
Nationally in 2006, 25 percent of young drivers ages 15-20 had legally impaired blood-alcohol concentration levels at the time of a crash
The risk of car accidents is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group
The likelihood of a serious accident occurring increases by over 90 percent when there are more than two teens in a vehicle

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the leading causes of accidents involving teenagers are:

Driver inexperience
High-risk situations, like bad weather or driving at night

Risk-taking behavior
Alcohol and drug abuse
Not wearing a seatbelt

What can parents do?

As a parent, you might feel helpless when your teen is out cruising around. You can’t always be in the passenger seat, monitoring every move, but there are several measures you can take to enforce safe driving practices and set your mind at ease:

Mandate and enforce seat belt use
Minimize distractions for the driver
Limit the number of teen passengers
Forbid the use of cell phones, texting or
other hand-held electronic
devices
while driving

Set a good example when you drive
Alcohol and drug abuse

Assemblyman Titone: Fighting to reduce teen tragedies

Titone has a strong history of sponsoring bills that offer safety measures and restrictions for young drivers, such as:

Providing “Safe Teen NY Driver” stickers for vehicles driven by individuals under 18 years of age (A.8319).
Restricting the number of passengers under the age of 21 for those with a class DJ or class MJ learner permit or license (A.8323).
Establishing Michelle and Jordan’s Law, providing penalties for participating in an unlawful speed contest or race (A.8438).
Mandating that those under 18 years of age who are charged with a traffic violation appear in court with a parent or guardian (A.5974).

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet.” www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Teen_Drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html

Responsibilities for teen driver

Initial

I will not let anyone else drive the car

I will obey all driving laws, drive safely and not endanger my life or the lives of others

Everyone in the vehicle will wear seat belts at all times

I will tell my parent(s) or guardian(s) where I am going and when I will be back

I will call if I will be more than 30 minutes late

I will not drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If impaired, I will use other transportation or call my parent(s) or guardian(s) for advice or for a ride

I will not talk on a cell phone when I am in the car

I will not text message when I am in the car

I will only have _______ passengers in the car

Responsibilities for parent(s) or guardian(s)

Initial

I will listen to my teen’s concerns about driving and this contract

I will set an example when I drive and teach good driving skills

I will give my teen driver helpful feedback when riding with him or her

If my teen driver calls impaired by drugs or alcohol, I will come to get him/her, at any hour, with no argument at that time, but will expect to discuss the incident at a later date

As your parent or guardian, I will also agree to seek safe, sober transportation. I will not drive if I have been drinking, nor will I ride with someone who has been drinking