Car crashes involving teen drivers increase between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
More teens are on the road when school is not in session, and they often have friends in the car.
Distracted driving is dangerous for everyone. Deena Liska of Crossroads discussed safety tips with TODAY'S TMJ4's Elise Preston on Thursday.
Here is some information and tools to help keep teen drivers — and everyone — safer on the road this summer:
DRIVING AGREEMENT
- A driving agreement is a good tool for starting a conversation about the rules and expectations for driving. An agreement is about the parent-teen conversation. A driving agreement talks about obeying the rules of the road, staying focused while driving, not using drugs or alcohol ever while driving, and being a responsible driver.
- The value in the agreement is the conversation that goes along with it, not the paper itself.
- A downloadable agreement can be found on the Crossroads home page at crossroadsteendriving.org.
GRADUATED DRIVER LICENSING LAW
- In addition, parents and caregivers should consider additional driving limits using Graduated Driver Licensing as a foundation. Wisconsin’s Graduated Driver Licensing law reduces the risk by making sure teens gradually build driving experience with supervision before getting their licenses and restricting driving after they are licensed. GDL helps keep all drivers safe by limiting nighttime driving for new drivers, restricting teen passengers and ensuring teens get quality, supervised practice hours behind the wheel.
- Even during the summer, teens with probationary licenses can only have one non-family member in the car and can’t drive alone between midnight and 5 a.m. (unless it’s between home and work or school) for the first 9 months
Parent role modeling is important.
Crossroads Teen Driving, a program of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, provides resources and education regarding teen driving to parents, teens, educators, law enforcement, public health and communities throughout Wisconsin.
The goal is to instill a sense of driver responsibility in teen drivers across the state. As a trusted safety resource, Crossroads works to raise awareness and reduce the risk for teen drivers and everyone on the road. The program offers free resources and information on crossroadsteendriving.org.
