Teen Drivers Education Online Course-Get your Learners Permit-California

A Parent's Guide for Parents of Teen Drivers

Teen driving, yikes!

We understand that is a frightening thought to have your teenager out on the road behind the wheel of a car. That is why Teen Drivers Ed Online has put together a training guide just for parents, full of statistics and helpful hints.

The California State DMV offices carry a very informative teen training guide that is a must-have for parents and teenagers preparing to drive. We recommend obtaining a copy for yourself. Some of the following information has been taken directly from The California State DMV's "Teen Training Guide."

We encourage all of our parents to take an active role in their child's driving responsibilities. Knowledge is power, so talking to your child about traffic laws and safety is key. Many children are visual learners, so use the time when you are in the car together to talk about proper judgment and mistakes that drivers often make. The time you spend now can only make your child a safer and more defensive driver.

Only behind the wheel driving practice will make your child a good driver.

One of the most important classes your child will attend is a California Drivers Education course. Having this course online allows you to take part in your child's learning experience.

Here are a few stats and helpful hints to guide your journey:

Problem:	Teenage drivers get more tickets, and are also hurt and killed in greater numbers than other drivers.
CA Law Solution:	To decrease these accidents, a special provisional type of license and instruction permit is issued to drivers under the age of 18. Minors may keep their license as long as they obey certain provisions. They must obey the traffic laws and drive without an accident. They must hold their permit longer (six months) and practice driving skills before the come to the DMV for their driving test.

Problem:	Failing the Written Law and/or Driving test.
CA Law Solution:	If your teenager fails the law test, there is a one-week waiting period before they are able to retake the test. If the driving test is failed, he or she must wait two weeks before retaking it.

Problem:	Teen drivers are statistically more careless within their first year of driving.
CA Law Solution:	Teenage drivers are given certain new restrictions for the first year after they are licensed. During the first twelve months, the teenager must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, a driver 25 years of age or older, or a licensed or certified driving instructor when driving between eleven and 5:00 a.m., or if transporting people under the age of 20.

Helpful Hints:

Driver training is crucial, but the hours you spend with your teenager behind the wheel will give them very important additional experience.

During the summer months, daylight hours sometimes extend until 9:30PM. Therefore, schedule your practice sessions so that your student driver will have enough experience driving when it is dark and in different weather conditions. (The student must have at least 10 hours of night driving practice before taking a driving test.)

One way to help your child pass their test is to take time familiarizing yourself with everything in the California Driver Handbook before you begin your sessions. Your student has been studying that book during their driver's education course, and the DMV conducts driving tests based on this handbook.

As parents, we are constantly made aware of how our children imitate our behavior. This is especially true with our driving. Be careful to set a good example whenever you drive. Drive the way you want your kids to drive; use a safety belt, obey traffic signals and speed limits, and do not mix drugs or alcohol with driving. Educate your teen about the fatal dangers and legal consequences of driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Rules:

The following are some rules for parent to consider once their teenager begins to drive:

Until your teen has gained sufficient driving experience, they should not be allowed to drive freely without restrictions. Work out when and where you're child is allowed to drive the car. (store, work, school) as well as when it is ok to drive with passengers.
For safety sake, keep your newly licensed teen driver off the road during adverse weather conditions; such as fog, rain, snow and ice).
Limit night driving to a minimum, until you're teen has had a good amount of supervised night driving skills.
Inform your teen of the strict punishment you will enforce if they are to drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. As well as what types of other wrongdoings will result in the lose of driving privileges.
Enforce safety laws; such as everyone in the car must wear a safety belts, as well as the use of helmets for motorcycles driving.
Instruct you teen on proper driving etiquette, no headphones, no driving while fatigued or tired and no cell phone usage while driving.
Place your teen in an annual defensive driving course to keep them aware and fresh at the wheel.

FACTS & STATISTICS

.	. FACT: On average one in three fatal traffic accidents involving teen drivers are alcohol related. STATISTIC: 46.8 percent of all vehicle occupants killed in crashes were unbelted. in 2004. NHTSA estimates that 671 of 1,443 unbelted vehicle occupants killed would have survived, had they simply chosen to buckle up.
	FACT: The leading cause of death for children and young people are motor vehicle crashes. STATISTIC: Young drivers are involved in fatal traffic crashes at twice the rate as the rest of the population.
	FACT: Exceeding the speed limit or driving at an unsafe speed is the most common error in fatal accidents.