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Driving Safety Home - Helping your teenager establish safe driving habits

Driving Safety Home - Helping your teenager establish safe driving habits

November 6, 2015

By Dallas Hammit
State Engineer/Deputy Director for Transportation

There are several reasons parents and guardians should help their teenagers establish safe driving habits – one of the best is that it can make a real, lasting difference.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “self-reported surveys show that teens whose parents impose driving restrictions and set good examples typically engage in less risky driving and are involved in fewer crashes.”

What we say and do matters, which is why I’m encouraging you to make time to talk with your teenagers about their driving behaviors to help guide them to become safer motorists.

Not sure how to start the conversation? There are a number of online resources designed to steer parents in a good direction. One of those sites comes from the NHTSA and is aimed at parents who want to set good ground rules for their teen drivers.

On the NHTSA site, you’ll also find information on the “5 to Drive” campaign, which addresses the five most dangerous and deadly behaviors for teen drivers, including alcohol use, texting, speeding, failure to use seatbelts and riding with extra teen passengers.

Of course, setting a positive example for any young future drivers is so important. We can all do our part by buckling up, obeying the speed limit and putting down the cell phone or mobile device while driving.

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