In the Good Old Summer Time: Joy Riding and Your Teen

As the good old summertime approaches, teens will be spending more time on the roads without supervision.  Our teens being out their on the roads beyond parental control doing who knows what strikes fear in the hearts of parents everywhere.  In 2010, 3115 teens were killed in car crashes. Is more regulations on teen drivers the way to go or is it more parental supervision  that is needed? The age old question, is it the government's responsibility or the responsibility of the parent to monitor this activity?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released some startling projected statistics about teen drivers and changing the driving laws made specificly to govern them.  Their figures suggest that changing the driving age in all states from 16 to 17 would reduce car fatalities by 13%.  Statistics support that the longer teens wait to learn to drive the lower their crash rate.  In addition, these findings suggest that not allowing teens to drive at night or with other teens in the car would reduce deadly car crashes by 20%.  The Insurance Institue for Highway Safety supports tougher rules for first time drivers because it will allow these drivers to gain more experience while being supervised.

I remember when my first born got his driver's license, it sure was time saving for me to have the option of sending him to the store or out to pick up his sister.  I live in a state that allows a teen to get their permit at fifteen, but they must be sixteen and have had their permit for atleast six months prior to testing for their license.  We did not give our children a car, they each earned the money to buy their first car.  I think that this made them more cautious with their car because they were invested in it.  When they drove our vehicle, they told us where they were going and if they went somewhere else (got to love those systems that you can install that tells you where the car has been) without permission there was a consequence.    We took the keys away for a period of time.  Clipping their wings (or wheels) leaves a lasting impression.  A few words about those trackers and the right to privacy.  My children knew that the device had been installed.  I think installing this device without their knowledge and then using the information against them, will cause irreparable damage to the parent-child relationship so important to maintain when parenting of a teen.

Maybe the right answer to the question of who should be monitoring this activity to save the lifes of teens is both the governement and parents.

Should You Be the One to Teach Your Child to Drive?

This has been a question that parents have been asking themselves for generations. In answering this question, it is important to be honest with yourself. Ask yourself the tough questions. How patient are you when it comes to your teenager? Does your spouse have more patience than you do? Will your relationship with your child withstand you teaching them to drive?
Can you afford to pay for a few driving lessons since those first few lessons seem to be the most tense?

When our children were first learning to drive, we came to the conclusion that my husband was best suited for the task of teaching them. This seems like a funny choice since I was in education at the time, but it definitely was the right choice.