From the time children are toddlers and can understand being in a car, they can’t wait for the opportunity to drive a car on their own. However, parents of children don’t necessarily share that opinion. With the potential dangers such as driving too fast, being distracted and showing off for friends, parents need to be concerned about the safety of their children while driving. The good news is that over time studies have been done about teen driving habits and many changes in the laws and the ways that teens are educated about driving have occurred.

From the time that a teenager is able to get their learners permit, it is important for parents to try and teach their children the importance of following rules and being safe while behind the wheel. Parents need to discuss openly the potential dangers of driving too fast, not paying attention while driving, about the problems of bad weather and not being distracted. These are lessons that are important for parents to teach their teen drivers and hopefully they will stick with the children when they have their driver’s license.

The federal government and states now realize the potential dangers that exist with teen drivers. Because of this they have created many education programs that can be useful for parents and teens to be better informed. In addition, with the implementation of Graduated Drivers License, young drivers now have restrictions on when they are able to drive. Hopefully with the increased emphasis on safety education, teens will be safer drivers now and in the future.

As a public service, we have put together some resources that can help teenagers and parents create better and safer drivers. Please feel free to check out the following resources:

Teaching Teens How to Drive

• Teaching Teens to Drive – Comprehensive and informative resource guide to help parents teach their children how to drive.
• Helping Parents Teach Kids to Drive – Information for parents on how to help teach children how to drive an auto.
• Teaching Your Teen to Drive – Helpful article providing tips and information on how to teach your teen to be a safe driver.
• Teen Driving Instruction – Dos and don’ts for parents in teaching their children how to learn to drive.

Graduated Driver Licensing

• Graduated Drivers Licensing – Helpful Q and A on programs that place restrictions on teen drivers.
• Arizona Graduated Licensing – Information on the rules in effect for Arizona teens which are typical of other states.
• State GDL Laws – State by state information on the restrictions placed by Graduated Driver Licenses (GDL).
• GDL Information – Overview of the reasoning and expectations of implementing Graduated Drivers Licenses for teens.
• Saving Teens Lives – Informative page from the NHTSA proving information on the GDL and how it is implemented to save lives.

Teens and Bad Weather

• Driving in Bad Weather –Helpful page aimed at providing teenagers with information on how to deal with driving in bad weather.
• Bad Weather Driving Tips – Information for teens on how to cope with driving in bad weather.
• Adverse Weather Conditions – Suggestions on how to drive in various weather conditions.
• Bad Weather Driving – Informative page with information on what to do in bad driving conditions.
• Bad Weather Driving Resources – Resourceful page containing a collection of links and information on bad weather driving.

Distracted Driving

• Teen Distracted Driving – Federal website giving teens some helpful advice about the dangers of distracted driving.
• Distracted Driving and Young Workers – Information from OSHA on the impact of distracted driving on younger workers.
• Distracted Driving Information – Portal of information for people looking for data on teen distracted driving.
• Teens and Distracted Driving – Collection of information and resources on the dangers facing teenagers with distracted driving.
• Talking About Distracted Driving – Informative page for parents on how to talk with their teenagers about the dangers of distracted driving.
• Texting and Driving – Information on one of the biggest problems facing teen drivers.

Resources for Parents of Teen Drivers

• Parents and Teen Drivers – Excellent federal resource on the difficulties that parents face with teen drivers.
• Parents and Safe Teen Drivers – Information for parents on how to ensure that their teens are safe drivers.
• Parent and Teen Training Guide – Useful source of information for teens and parents on how to be safe drivers.
• Advice for Parents – Informative page with professional information for parents on teen driving issues.
• Teen and Parent Driver Agreement – Resource that can be used by parents to ensure that teens follow safe driving rules.

Teen Driving Resources

• Teen Drivers – Information on a variety of topics for teenaged drivers.
• Teen Driver Resources – Collection of resourceful websites and information for the teenaged driver.
• Resources on Teen Safety – Useful resources for teenagers to help remain safe while behind the wheel.
• Teen Driving – Helpful site with a wide range of information for teenagers to assist them in being a safe driver.
• Teen Driving Safety Tips – Tips and suggestions for teenagers on how to remain being a safe driver.
• Teen Driver Safety – Informative site for teenagers on how to be a safe driver.