Take Action to Reduce Teen Driving Deaths

Find out how to lobby for strict laws and get tough at home.

• Driving
• Parenting Teens

What can you do to help reduce the number of teen driving deaths in your state? Plenty! Start by spelling out the danger to your kids. Get tough at home by making sure your teen always wears a seat belt and doesn’t drive late at night. Follow our tips to teach your teen to drive.

Next, do your part to lobby for stricter state laws. Visit congress.org to find your state legislator and join Reader’s Digest in the fight to make driving safer for teens by downloading a letter you can send.

Check out the resources below for more information.

Driving Skills for Life
This site features tips and an educational game designed to teach safe driving skills.

Road Ready Teens
You’ll find AAA-sponsored driving guides for parents and teens, an educational game and more.

A Look at Graduated Drivers Licenses (GDLs)
Get answers to many of your questions about GDL laws from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plus print an informative brochure.

Partners for Safe Teen Driving
Get safety tips, see more resources and debunk five common myths about teen driving.

From Reader's Digest - August 2008

 

• Teach Your Teen to Drive (without driving you both nuts)
• Teaching your teen to drive requires a lot of patience. Here are some tips to make it a little easier.
• 
• Check Your State's Teen Driving Laws
• 
• Special Report: The Dangers of Teen Driving
• Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens. It's time to take action.
• 
• Road Warrior: Teaching Teens Safe Driving
• One man's mission to get teens to think twice every time they get in a car.
• 
• Methodology for States With Toughest Driving Laws
• In a first-ever analysis, we examined each state's graduated driver licensing, seat belt, and DUI laws and awarded points based on strictness. See a break down of the best and worst driving laws state-by-state.
• 
• Anatomy of a Teen Car Accident
• Nearly half of teen car-crash deaths happen at night. Here's how it usually goes down.
• 
• Discussion: How are you teaching your teens to be safe, responsible drivers?
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• Be Inspired
• Take Our Fun and Short Around the World Survey!
• Help Prevent Teen Car Crashes
• Meet 6 Incredible Individuals
• PLUS:
• Quiz: Match the Celebrity With the Cause

Exasperated with obnoxious patients in the clinic where she's the office manager, my aunt put up a sign that read: "If you are grouchy, irritable, or just plain mean, there will be a $10 surcharge for putting up with you."

Clearly some people took the sign to heart. That same afternoon a patient came to her window and announced, "The doctor said he would like to see me every month for the next six months, so I'm going to pay all my $60 up front."

-- Justine A. Bacarisas