Taking a Drive
Getting Tween 'Road Ready'
by Kristen M. Kreibich-Staruch

PARENTGUIDE News November 2003

Preparing kids for driving starts long before they get behind the wheel for their first driving lesson. In fact, every time parents get into a vehicle with their kids, they are giving them a lesson in driving safety and the rules of the road. Parents should begin talking to their children early about the importance of buckling up, not speeding, not drinking and driving, and other driving rules and how those rules can protect them. If parents start those conversations when their children are in their tween years, their kids will know what rules to expect when they get their learner’s permit and start driving.

Kids need to know that while they are finally getting the independence and responsibility that comes along with driving, those early years behind the wheel also can be a very risky and dangerous time. Vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens. Before kids get behind the wheel, there are a few important facts parents and tweens should know about driving:

·One out of every five 16-year-olds will be involved in a motor vehicle crash.
·Thirty-six percent of all teen driving deaths are alcohol-related.
·More than 300,000 teen passengers and drivers ages 16-20 were injured, and nearly 6,000 died, as a result of vehicle crashes in 2002.

This shocking reality is due mostly to two factors— driver inexperience and lack of maturity behind the wheel. With so many teens injured or killed on our nation’s roadways, teen driving safety has become a national priority and a top concern for parents, according to a survey recently commissioned by DaimlerChrysler. But there is help out there for parents to ease their tweens into driving and to help teens survive the high-risk driving years.

A new researched-based teen driving safety initiative was recently launched by automaker DaimlerChrylser along with national safety organizations including the National Safety Council and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Road Ready Teens is available on the Web at www.roadreadyteens.org, and offers a simple set of steps for parents to implement in the home to help their tweens get ready to drive.

Get Involved in Your Tween’s Driving Experience As a parent, you can:
·Implement Driving Guidelines in your Home. Make sure your tween is “road ready” by reviewing the recommendations included in the Road Ready Teens Parent’s Guide and by personalizing the Parent-Teen Road Rules Contract with your tween; both can be found on the Road Ready Teens Web site at www.roadreadyteens.org. On the Web site, you also can find the Road Ready Teens state-of-the-art video game that is challenging specifically and designed for teens. The video game is exciting and helps tweens better understand the risks they face in their early driving years.

·Review with your Tween the Risks and Responsibilities. Make sure your tween understands that driving involves risks and responsibilities. Talk with your tween about the privilege of driving and the risks that come with being behind the wheel. By knowing and understanding those risks, tweens are one step closer to becoming better and safer drivers.
·Require Seat Belt Use. Data shows that the most effective way to reduce the chance of death or injury in a crash is by using a seat belt. Unfortunately, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use when compared with other age groups. Therefore, it’s important that you communicate to your tween that seat belt use by all occupants is not optional. Always wear a seatbelt when you are driving and have your tween wear one each time he gets into the car.

·Educate your Tween on the Dangers of Impaired Driving. Research also shows that during a typical weekend, an average of one teen dies per hour in a motor vehicle crash, and 45 percent of these crashes involve alcohol. Talk to your kids about the dangers of drinking and taking drugs, and make it clear that being under the influence of alcohol or drugs and driving is unacceptable.
·Know the Laws. Make sure you and your tween know your state’s current laws for young drivers.
·Be a Good Role Model. Tweens look to their parents for guidance and as role models behind the wheel. Teach your tween to be a safer driver by modeling safe driving. Follow all traffic laws and always buckle up.
·Limit Distractions. Studies prove that many teen crashes are caused by distractions such as other teens in the vehicle, talking on cell phones or listening to loud music. Another risk is a lack of experience driving at night or in adverse weather, when visibility is reduced and reaction time is slowed. Explain to your tween that he should be focused when it is his time to get behind the wheel.
• Start Early. Set driving ground rules in the beginning that will help your tween when it is his time to learn to drive. In the early stages of driving, work with your teen to determine limits that everyone can live with.