While teens in Tennessee may think the rules regarding driving are unnecessary, the truth is these graduated drivers licensing laws have proved to reduce teen crashes by 20 to 40 percent. So while these rules may seem harsh and even unfair at times, teens and their parents should know these rules do serve a purpose: to keep everyone on the roadways safe.
This year, Oct. 20 to Oct. 26 was recognized as National Teen Driver Safety Week. And while of course it is good to dedicate a week to this important issue, it is also important for parents to be encouraging of safe driving all year round.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, researchers found that when parents are involved, by setting rules and monitoring their child's driving activities, those teens are half as likely to get into a motor vehicle accident.
Additionally, those teens with parental involvement in their driving are 71 percent less likely to drive drunk, 50 percent more likely to wear a seat belt and 30 percent less likely to use their cellphone to talk or text while behind the wheel.
Teens with parents who are involved in their driving, according to the same researchers, are also less likely to speed, which is another dangerous driving habit that increases the risk of getting into an accident.
In hearing of these statistics, it really highlights the point that everyone needs to be involved in teen driver safety. This means parents need to be setting rules and talking about safety, teens need to be following the graduated driver's licensing laws in Tennessee, and police need to be on the lookout for dangerous driving behaviors.