Teens and Young Driver Safety

You’ve been protecting your kids their whole life. Don’t stop now – Set the rules before they hit the road.

Be sure to set 6 rules before they hit the road

1. No cell phones

2. No extra passengers

3. No speeding

4. No alcohol/substances

5. No drowsy driving

6. Buckle up

Find out more: https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-driving

Printable PDF Version of Infographic

Learn your state’s Graduated Driver Licensing laws

Graduated driver licensing laws help protect new drivers while they gain experience
- Mandatory supervised practice hours
- Night driving limits
- Passenger limits for novice drivers
- Find out your state’s GDL laws: https://www.iihs.org/topics/
  teenagers/graduated-licensing-laws-table

Create a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement!

CDC’s Parent-Teen Driver Contract (for use anywhere)

https://www.cdc.gov/parents
arethekey/agreement/index.html

AAA Tidewater’s Parent-Teen Driver Agreement (for use in Virginia)

https://www.ace.aaa.com/content/
dam/ace/pdf/Parent-Teen-Driving-Agreement-TW.pdf

Teen Drivers are Overrepresented in Fatal Crashes. Here are their greatest risks:

Driver inexperience makes every driving risk greater for teens
Nearly half of teen drivers killed in crashes each year are unrestrained
About one-fourth of teen drivers killed in crashes each year are under the influence of alcohol
Young drivers are involved in more speeding-related fatal crashes compared to other age groups
Teens’ inexperience behind the wheel makes them more susceptible to driver distraction
The two biggest sources of distractions for teen drivers are cell phones and passengers
Use of cell phones (to type or talk) is one of the greatest contributors to teen crashes
Texting while driving increases the risk of a crash by 23 times
Teen passengers increase the risk of a crash for teen drivers, and the risk of a fatal crash goes up in direct relation to the number of teenagers in the car
Young male drivers are 2X as likely as young female drivers to be involved in a fatal crash

Stay in Control Behind the Wheel

Avoid the distraction: turn off your phone, set it in drive mode, or put it away and out of reach

Helpful Resources for Young Drivers and their Parents:

Teen Driver Licensing Infographic

AAA: Resources for Young Motorists and Parents

https://www.ace.aaa.com/
automotive/driver-education/teen-programs.html

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Teenagers

https://www.iihs.org/topics/
teenagers

CDC: Distracted Driving

https://www.cdc.gov/transportation
safety/distracted_driving/index.html

NHTSA: Teen Driving

https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-driving

Graduated Driver Licensing Laws

https://www.iihs.org/topics/
teenagers/graduated-licensing-laws-table

Virginia Department of Education: 45 hour Parent-Teen Driving Guide

https://www.doe.virginia.gov/
instruction/driver_education/ parent_teen_driving_guide.pdf

YOVASO: Youth of Virginia Speak Out about Traffic Safety

https://www.yovaso.org/

Partners for Safe Teen Driving

https://safeteendriving.org/

WRAP: Youth Outreach

https://wrap.org/youth-outreach/

Drive Safe Hampton Roads: Get it Together High School Seat Belt Challenge

https://www.drivesafehr.org/get-involved/get-it-together-seat-belt-challenge/

Project Lead

Contact Information

Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences

at Old Dominion University

Community Health and Research

E.V. Williams Hall Pediatrics

855 W. Brambleton Avenue

Norfolk, Virginia 23510

Phone: 1-757-446-5799

E-mail: carsafetynow@evms.edu

Materials are free for educational, nonprofit use; citation is appreciated.

The Car Safety Now program was supported by a series of grants from the Virginia DMV Highway Safety Office (Principal Investigator: Kelli England, Ph.D.). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Virginia DMV, or Virginia Highway Safety Office.