What Every Parent needs to know about their Teen Driver
The numbers speak for themselves. The leading cause of death among 15 to 19 year olds is motor vehicle crashes. There are 4,000 deaths every year which amounts to about 11 per day. Teen drivers are at the greatest risk during the first 18 to 24 months of driving, a time when they are supposed to be learning and improving their driving skills.

In New Jersey there is a crash involving a teen driver every 10 minutes. Between 2000 and 2012 there were 700 teen drivers and passengers killed. Statistics show that this age only makes up 5.8% of the driving population but they account for 10% of the crashes that occur.

 It is now more important than ever for parents and guardians to take an active role with teaching their teen to drive. Part of that is to understand the restrictions and rules of new teen drivers as well as to follow some proven methods for teaching and establishing your own in-house rules. The goal here is to come up with a system that helps to develop good, safe, driving habits and reduce the likelihood of being involved in a motor vehicle crash.
Share the Keys is a program that lasts about 90 minutes. It is designed around the teen driver and their parent attending together. The program is interactive and encourages the teen and parent to talk about how things are going to work. By the end of the presentation teens and parents will understand:

• The Graduated Driver License Program (GDL)
• The importance of being a good role model
• Why the GDL needs to be effectively enforced at home
• The importance of increasing practice driving hours
• Controlling the keys

There is no cost for the presentation. Ideal group size is 6-30 people total (3-15 pairs). Presentations can be scheduled by any group.

For more information contact Chris Rokicki at rokicki@co.somerset.nj.us

Share the Keys
http://www.njteendriving.com/share-the-keys

Download the Teen Driver Booklet