National Teen Driver Safety Week, Oct. 19-25, 2014

For many teens, getting a driver's license is a major milestone.  For many parents, that same milestone can be a worrisome event.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, eight teens are killed in car crashes each day.  Safety is a key concern for parents and their teens.

During National Teen Driver Safety Week, we are pleased to present several tips to help keep teen drivers safe.

• Beginning drivers need to experience driving in various conditions and situations.  Encourage your teen to practice driving in various weather and traffic conditions.  Have your teen drive at different times of day and night.
• Consider a driving curfew.  Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control show that night-time crashes involving young drivers have a higher fatality rate than day-time crashes.
• Restrict the number of passengers riding with your beginning driver.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 67% of crash deaths involving 16-year-old drivers happen when the driver has one or more teen passengers.
• Require your teen driver to buckle up.  Parents should models that behavior as well.
• Talk with your teen about distracted driving.  Emphasize that any distraction, such as eating food or using a cell phone, can divide attention an slow reaction time.
• Help your teen learn to judge appropriate following distances and speeds.  Point out the hazards of tailgating.

These tips come from Parents Are the Key, offered by the Centers for Disease Control.