Car accidents are the leading cause of death among American teenagers. Sixty-one percent of teen passengers are killed while riding with a teen driver. In response to those two declarations, most US states and territories have adopted GDL laws. GDL is the acronym for Graduated Driver Licensing. While the GDL does not guarantee that your teen will avoid being ticketed or injured in a crash, there are ways to help assess the maturity and experience of the teen driver that can increase her safety.
monitoring devices
Using ‘technology’ to monitor teen driving behavior is suboptimal because it only tells you where the teen is and nothing about the teen’s driving behavior. Old-fashioned, hands-on monitoring yields a better return on investment! (Return On Investment) There are several teen driver monitoring devices and services available.
- Monitoring ‘services’, ie a bumper sticker that requests a report on the teen’s driving behavior and is reported through a specific email address or phone number.
- GPS devices connected to the teen’s cell phone or to the vehicle the teen drives
- The cost of these services or devices ranges from $25 per year to $500 + service fees and contracts
Recommendation: Parents who feel the need to ‘supervise’ the Teen’s driving behavior indicate that the Teen does NOT have adequate experience with good driving skills and does not have the emotional maturity to obtain a license. Instead, investing in developing good driving skills and experience gives young people enough time to develop the maturity required to be a reliable and safe driver and will demonstrate a higher RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
Working together!
Fostering cooperation is easily achieved when both parents and teens approach teaching/learning driving with a team spirit. To create a positive driving experience for the teen and parent, practice the following to encourage cooperation.
Fathers
Make a schedule for driving practice to fit into schedules. Stick to the schedule or arrange any changes ahead of time. Make it a rule to greet and appraise each driver every time he comes to the house to transport a family member. Focus only on driving lesson topics. Do not discuss disappointments, assignments, grades, etc., during practice driving. Your teen will focus better on driving if she does it
not feel ‘trapped’. Practicing courteous and helpful comments is imperative. If things start to get tense, get out of the way to calm down and resolve the situation. Stop in for a drink or go home and set another practice date.
teenagers
Make sure your friends know your practice driving rules, and help them follow those rules so your parents don’t have to mention them. Complete chores, homework, or other expectations before getting behind the wheel to practice driving. Your parents will appreciate your thoughtfulness and will see your cooperation as a point of maturity. Maintaining calm attitudes and respectful comments will contribute to a successful driving session. If you feel nervous or angry, take some time to collect your composure or request another date to practice. It may be a bad day to drive and it’s good to acknowledge that fact. Pay close attention to how you feel, what you’re thinking, and if you’re making too many mistakes. Realizing that you may be too tired or distracted to focus is part of being mature.
Next: The Argument for Building a Teen Driving Contract
