Teen Motorist Safety Guide

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing

With all the focus on teen motorist safety, it’s the right time for Las Vegas personal injury lawyers to bring to attention the fact that the National Safety Council has a special guide out for teen drivers and their families.

The guidebook is called Teen Driver: A Family Guide to Teen Driver Safety. The guide has been developed by the National Safety Council to:

• Inform families of teenage motorists about the risks that these drivers face while driving, based on scientific evidence
• Offer practical tips and advice to reduce these risks
• Encourage cooperation from both parents and teenagers in the entire process of learning to drive.

The guide is full of statistics that should alert any parent to the dangers that their child will be exposed to as he or she drives. There are charts that lay out the dangers clearly. Approximately 44% of all teen deaths are due to motor vehicle crashes. The guide includes 12 points that every parent of a teen motorist must know. These include:

1. Special risks facing inexperienced teen drivers
2. Risks from lack of seatbelt use, alcohol use and speeding
3. Risks from the use of cell phones and text messaging
4. Role of Graduated Driver Licensing to reduce these risks
5. Benefits of Graduated Driver Licensing passenger restrictions
6. Benefits of GDL nighttime restrictions
7. GDL laws of your state
8. Role of family rules in protecting teen motorists
9. Role of driver education in protecting teen motorists

10. Importance of supervised driving during the learner’s permit stage

11. Working of the Provisional License phase

12. Writing down a strong family plan to be used by both parents and teenagers

There is enough evidence out there alerting both parents and teen motorists to the very real risks that these drivers face on the road. Teen motorists are at the highest risk of being involved in a crash during the first 12 to 22 months of driving. It’s important for teenagers to prepare for driving, and must understand that driving privileges are earned, and not their right.

Parents also must understand that no matter what the laws of the state say, it is you who must ultimately decide whether your child should get a learner’s permit. If you feel your child lacks the maturity to be trusted with a learner’s permit, delay the process by a year.



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