Teenage Driver Car = Potential Accident
It's amazing how much expertise comes with the picture ID from the DMV.
We are on our third (and last) teenage driver and wanted to share our strategies and tips on how we kept them safe from accidents that usually accompany young drivers.
We still have one more to leave the nest, but so far we have been successful in keeping the same car through all three children. Of course, like other parents, we tried to appeal to their sense of responsibility and level of maturity needed to get a seat behind the wheel.
Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.
Our thought process was simple, if they were responsible for the cost of gas and insurance, they would be more likely to appreciate the opportunity given them. Hopefully, thinking twice about speeding or driving like idiots for fear of getting a ticket and the cost of insurance going through the roof.
In addition, tickets would be their responsibility. The cost of gas also played into the strategy since they had to fill the tank, they thought twice about driving in the first place, thereby reducing the number of frivolous road trips.
New Table of Contents
But Dad, It's Ugly.
The Family Wagon
As many did in our generation, we both grew up in working class environments, having to pay for everything we wanted. We did not have the ability to tap into parental resources as some kids do today. We learned to appreciate what we had simply because we had blood, sweat and tears vested into them.My first car was no exception. It was a 1966 Chevy Impala, a huge white Boat of a car, but it was all mine. I had saved for months working as a paper boy/busboy to be able to afford the purchase and ongoing monthly insurance, gas and repair bills. Of course, once I owned such a stunning piece of machinery, I had to care, feed and add my special touches to my symbol of independence, all of course coming out of my own pocket.
Now to be fair, we could have made our first born purchase his own car. But like many parents, we were tied to the notion that "our kids should have a better life than we did". However, we struggled with this idea as well as; "What was good enough for us should be good enough for him".
So, instead of making him purchase his own vehicle, we decided to compromise, and allow him to drive the family station wagon. Keep in mind that this car was not the large buick that our grandparents drove, but a safe, practical car that provided basic transportation and already paid for. The basic criteria was that it had to have airbags and seatbelts, of course. It had the added feature of being all wheel drive so it handled better than most cars in inclement weather.
Based on its Crash Test Safety Rating, it was a good choice and we felt this was the best candidate for him to drive. Of course, the idea of driving the family wagon was detrimental to his coolness, but it was either that or walk. We thought the choice was obvious.
Safe Driving Information
The Worst Parents Ever
Sticking to our guns
Continuing this strategy with our other two children we have had the same successes, although it has been a struggle to receive insurance payments, on a regular basis, we do give them some slack now and again.
Teenage Accidents
Top reasons Teens Get into Accidents

Inexperience/Immaturity along with speeding
Drinking/Drug Usage and driving
Lack of seat belt Use
Distracted driving -
(cell phone,loud music,teen passengers)
Driving during Late Night
Safety considerations for Your Teenager
- Car Color may effect your Safety
- White has topped some lists as the safest color as it can be seen under various conditions.
- Traffic fatalities decrease 10% this year - USATODAY.com
- Traffic fatalities on the nation's roads are down nearly 10% over last year and the number of people killed in crashes this year is expected to reach the lowest level since the government began tracking them in 1966, Transportation Secretary Mary...
- Device disables cell phones to prevent use behind the wheel - Teenagers Watchout
- New device that prevents cellphone usage while driving.
Driving ages for Teens
The IIHS Report on changing the Driving Age:
Status Report, Vol. 43, No. 7, Sept. 9, 2008 3
WHEN TEENAGERS CAN GET LICENSES in United States
South Dakota 14 1/2
Idaho 15
Montana 15
Mississippi 15 1/2
New Mexico 15 1/2
South Carolina 15 1/2
Indiana 16 1/2
Maryland 16 1/2
Virginia 16 1/2
Connecticut 16 1/2
Delaware 16 1/2
District of Columbia 16 1/2
Kentucky 16 1/2
Massachusetts 16 1/2
New York 16 1/2
Pennsylvania 16 1/2
Rhode Island 16 1/2
New Jersey 17
Other US states 16
Teen Driver Poll
Recent blog posts about drivers ed driving game
- In Goa, church steps in to appeal for safe driving
- We encourage the authorities and bodies like yours which are dedicated to this noble end; and we invite you to not lose heart, confident that man's innate nobility will also be affirmed more and more in road education,? he quoted the late Pope as having said. .... A man was arrested after authorities were tipped off about a reckless ? and naked ? driver on Interstate 80 in central Nebraska. Connecticut police arrest woman twice in 3 hours on drunken driving charges ...
- Education For The Driving Masses: Please hang up and get your ...
- Please hang up and get your licence again ... Elderly driver slams into Canada Day crowd. It has to be game over for any driver who performs such a gross act of negligence. Seriously. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. - Editor ...
- Safe Teen Driving Blog: Driver Education: How Teens Can Drive ...
- -Reinforce that driving must be taken seriously; many traffic games occur on freeways. Make sure teen drivers maintain a steady lane position in the right lane, except when passing, and refrain from being competitive with other drivers. ...
- New Jersey Politician Adds Most GPS Devices To Driver Distractions ...
- ... on beefing up laws for reckless driving. There have been laws or proposals against driving while talking on a phone, texting, viewing a video screen, faxing, eating, shaving, playing video games and even having sex. ... As a human who was raised and educated in New Jersey and now reside elsewhere I firmly believe that what should be the focus in New Jersey and Staten Island and Long Island is education and common sense. The region is overflowing with ass-backward ...
Teen Driver Books
Recommended for the Parents of Teenage Drivers
Crashproof Your Kids: Make Your Teen a Safer, Smarter Driver
Release Date: 05/11/2008
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 07/04/2009) ![]()
List Price: $14.00
Usually ships in 24 hours
Teaching Your Teen Behind the Wheel: A Parent's Guide for their Teenage Driver
Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 07/04/2009) ![]()
List Price: $13.95
Usually ships in 24 hours
Passing the Written DMV Test
Release Date: 05/15/2007
Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 07/04/2009) ![]()
List Price: $19.95
Usually ships in 10 to 14 days
The Driving Book: Everything New Drivers Need to Know but Don't Know to Ask
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 07/04/2009) ![]()
List Price: $16.95
Usually ships in 24 hours
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