One-on-One
Issue: September/October 2010
"Parental involvement steers young drivers in the right direction"
Our oldest son was 16 when AAA was urging Washington state officials to adopt the Intermediate Driver’s Licensing (IDL) law, so I didn’t have to travel far to hear criticism against these restrictions on young drivers. At the time, 16- and 17-year-old drivers were involved in fatal accidents at more than double the rate of those over 21, and this was just one of many statistics that made a convincing case for the law. Since IDL went into effect in 2001, all collisions involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers have decreased by 54 and 16.5 percent, respectively, so it’s hard to find any critics of the restrictions today. Unfortunately, teens still have the highest crash rate among all age groups of drivers.
As an organization committed to traffic safety, AAA Washington vigorously supports policies and programs that improve teen-driver safety. Our work in this area has convinced us that parental involvement and practice are crucial to achieving this goal. That is why we recently introduced our new Teen Driving link on our website (www.AAA .com). Parents can now turn to a convenient online location to find a wealth of resources designed to steer young drivers in the right direction. These include information on how to instill good driving habits in your son or daughter; interactive materials, such as AAA StartSmart, that parents and teens can review together; and other resources that let new drivers know exactly what their responsibilities are when they get behind the wheel.
All three of our children are now licensed drivers, so we can personally attest to how harrowing it can be for a parent to sit in the passenger seat with a teen who is learning how to drive. There is nothing like that first trip on 405 or I-5. Upon reflection, though, my wife and I would both agree that there is no better place for a parent to be.
Charles Liekweg, President
