How are you teaching your teens to be safe, responsible drivers?

The best way to avoid teen driver accidents is to have them wait until they are 18. There is not one acceptible excuse for a teen to be driving at 16 or 17 when still living at home. I have an 18 year old that was forced to wait. He hated me for it, but at least he is still alive to complain (several of his friends were not so fortunate). My parents made me wait until 18 as well. I felt the same towards them as my son did towards his mother and I, but here I am, now having the fun of experiencing the "parent curse." I cannot count how many times I have almost been a victim by being hit by a teenage driver. It is always a result of speeding, not paying attention, talking on their cell, talking to their friends in the car, or a combo of all the above. And let's not forget how many classmates we all have lost due to car accidents when they were allowed to drive at 16. I know some parents want to be the greatest and coolest parents by letting their children drive at 16, but are their lives and the lives of everyone else on the road worth being a "cool" parent? Do not be fooled by the "not my kid" denial some parents live in: your child will definately break some laws when allowed to drive. So, again: is it worth it?

You begin to teach your children when they are six years old. They are watching and absorbing everything that you do. At about nine you should begin commenting about the things you are watching and doing to be safe, like staying 2 seconds or more behind the car in front plus two seconds for the tailgater behind you plus two seconds if the driver ahead is tailgating. Then when the lessons begin, all of this is already in place. Before lesons began, I asked "What is the first rule of driving?" The answer below. Then I told them "The driver is in charge of the car. Set the mirrors and seat for yourself. You decide to turn the radio on or off and how riders must behave, like buckle up or get out." The first rule of driving is "Never hit a kid." This leads to discussing permission to hit anything else to avoid hitting a kid. The idea to convey that the big powerful machine can kill people. Kids own the streets. Slow down. or stop if necessary. A kid on a bike will ride out in front of you, or into you. Be prepared.

My son just got his license in April. My husband and I were looking for insurance with a better rate since he would now have to be insured. We called American Family Insurance to get a quote and the agent told us about how they offer a FREE program call The Teen Safe Driver. How the program works is that you get a camera for one year in the primary vehicle that your child drives. The camera and the installation are free. It video tapes when your teen takes off too fast, slams on their brakes, or jerks the car with the wheel etc. The action that is done is then viewed and graded and then every week a report card is sent to you, the parent. To view the video, you just go to the website and sign in to your account. When you see the video it has audio and a split screen, one side shows the inside of the car and the other shows the outside. You can see the comments along with the points that they gave for that particular action, then you view it with your child and explain to them what they did wrong. It has helped my son tremendously!! The first week his report card was 27 points. The ideal score is 0 but they want you to stay under 5pts a week. My son had a problem with taking turns too tightly and having his music up way too loudly. I would say in every video for the first week his radio was an issue along with his driving. Now, for the past month and a half he has been under 5 pts and for the past 3 weeks he has been at 0. I will say, he wasn't too hip on the idea at first but after we started viewing the videos and his driving improved he has been fine with it. It doesn't record the whole time they are driving, only 10 seconds before the action 10 seconds during and 10 seconds after so a total of 30 seconds is being taped ONLY if they do something to make the camera go off. I want to also add that this program doesn't affect your insurance rates what so ever. American Family Insurance is the only company that offers this, I think all companies should!

Actually, going on the first date -- and even the 2nd, 3rd and more -- are a great time in a teen's life. But the documented fact is that fewer teens die when they begin driving at 18 than at 16. IIHS and NHTSA both provide info on this. There are many good reasons to take steps to protect teens from their own inexperience by passing laws that restrict driving in the most hazardous conditions. Going on the first date is, IMHO, something that just has to wait. There's a good article from NHTSA that spells out what teens *say* they do when they're driving - check it out at http://safeteendrivingclub.wordpress.com/category/teen-driving-laws/. Girls who eat pasta with a fork while driving. Boys who cover the driver's eyes "just for fun" with the car in motion. It's not easy to say "no" to a 16 year old who wants to drive with another minor in the car, but it's a far better thing than turning them loose and having to face a tragedy.

Sorry RD you got it wrong. In the state of Georgia, you ARE NOT required to wear a seatbelt, in a truck, if you are 18 or over. Come on Georgia, get with it. What do most 18 year old males drive in the good ole state of Georgia? A TRUCK. How on earth can the Insurance Institute on Highway Safety even come close to ranking Georgia among the best. Stop all the hipocrosy. Get your facts straight. This law is KILLING our friends, neighbors, kids, students, men, women, etc.....