To All Parents With Teen Drivers

by Myra Turner | More from this Blogger

27 Sep 2006 07:05 AM

I was a late bloomer. Not only did I have a child late in life, I didn't learn to drive until I was in my late twenties. I was never one of those teens who wanted to learn to drive. I took driver's education in high school because it was required. I passed the actual driving part by the skin of my teeth. It would be years before I actually got behind the wheel of a car again. But most teens today seem to get the ache to drive as soon as they hit puberty. When teens get their learner's permit it is a momentous occasion for the teen but can be a parent's worst nightmare come true. And for good reason. Check out these somber stats.

New teenage drivers get into accidents five times more than more experienced 18-year-old drivers.

Teenage drivers have a 3-in-10 chance of being in a serious traffic accident in their first year of driving, because of inexperience.

The average driver training class provides just six hours of actual driving.

To help ease parents' minds, and hopefully prevent unnecessary traffic accidents, a new line of products have been released that will alert other drivers that an inexperienced teen driver is behind the wheel. The products, developed by a mother and her teen son, are marketed through the website www.rookiedriver.net.

The aim is to help other drivers be more conscious of new drivers and give them more room while they are on the road, thereby making the roads safe for everyone.

The products feature a distinctive logo and include the words, "Rookie Driver In Training". You can get a flag that flies atop car roofs, removable magnets for side doors and vinyl stickers for windows and non-metal cars. All of the products can be removed easily attached and removed. The site also offers helpful links and resources that can expand awareness of sound teen-driver practices.

Related Blog: The Dangers of Trunking

Learn more about Myra Turner

I'm a proud mid-life single mom with an active seven-year-old son, Tyler.

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Gwyllum (301) 28 Sep 2006 03:40 AM

Frightening stats, Myra. I am also thinking about the risks for teens who grow up in rural and isolated areas, then move to large towns or city areas. My 5 kids could all drive well by the time they were 13 or 14 years. We lived in some pretty rural and isolated areas. They needed to know how to drive in the event of an emergency but that did not give them right of access to gazetted roads. Later, when they were old enough for a learners permit and then a licence, they learned a different kind of driving: road rules and rural driving skills. Then later again, they needed to learn about the differences of driving along highways in country areas. Finally, they learned to drive in city and suburban conditions. Big responsibility for parents and for teens/young adults. Not to mention power boats, motor bikes, big road bikes, trucks, farm tractors, loaders ...

shaneb (10) 08 Jan 2007 07:48 PM

There is an article at www.TeenDriving123.com that all parents with driving teens should check out. They have a great program to keep teen drivers safe. I signed my daughter up recently.