What to do.

There's no point in scaring you half to death if we don't also give you some concrete ideas about what to do about all of this.  This website emphasizes the use of a written contract between parent and teenager regarding driving.  But, there are other things to do.

  • Don’t deny the reality. Ask yourself:  What is at stake here?

  • Get tough and adjust some attitudes.  Emphasize they have no right to drive. More about this later.

  • Get better driver training.

    • Consider private instruction.  Most teenagers are taught to drive by amateurs: Us.  Most of us are not professional drivers and most of us are not professional teachers.  So, there may be value in hunting down a professional driving instructor for your young person.

    • Help your young person get the Learner’s Permit, or the equivalent in your area and provide LOTS of experience during that year.   For more about the learner's permit, click here.

    • Require a full year with a Learner’s Permit before you allow your child to take the driver's test.  

    • Provide practice driving under range of conditions.  Don't just practice driving on sunny afternoons.  Go out at night, when it's raining--in a variety of conditions.  Otherwise, the first time your new driver encounters these conditions, it will be when you aren't with them.

  • Be willing to set firm rules and stick with them.  Start strict and relax rules as time passes and your teenager does well.  Tighten them up if she/he does poorly.

  • Make sure your teenager gets enough sleep.  There's good reason to think that large numbers of crashes are related to drivers who haven't slept enough.

  • Restrict the number of passengers, especially early on.  This is particularly important because the risk of an accident goes up sharply with young drivers with passengers. The more passengers, the more risk. This couldn't be clearer:

Crash rate per 10,000 trips by number of passengers. Drivers aged 16-17. 

For more about the critical issue of passengers, click here.

 

  • Do not allow your child to ride with a new driver.  This website is about your teenage driver.  But, obviously, the passengers of a teenage driver are at least the same risk as the teenage driver.  More here.
     

  • Be smart about the vehicle issue.

    If you buy a vehicle for a teenager to drive: Sensible, relatively safe, and un-fun vehicle.  Check crash test data.

Here's a really handy website for checking on safety ratings

  • Don’t let your teenager “own” a car.  Allow your teenager to “drive a family vehicle”—Use this kind of language even if you buy an additional car.  Research suggests that teenagers drive more safely with a car they don't consider to be their own.

  • Develop, require, negotiate, and enforce a written contract.

  • No contract=No driving.  Period.