Encourage Safe Driving Choices in Young Drivers

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Latina Mom Bloggers and State Farm. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Do you have teenage drivers? My oldest daughter was adamant about getting her license the day she turned 16. Knowing how the graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws worked, she made sure we started her driver’s education far in advance. She still had to wait a month past her birthday to get her license, but we worked diligently together to ensure she was doing everything properly.

Encourage Safe Driving Choices

As the parent of two teenagers, I know how challenging it can be to get them to listen to us sometimes. But, I also realize how important it is to encourage safe driving choices in young drivers. It is important to me both as a parent and as another driver on the road. The GDL laws seem to help ease teens into a position behind the wheel and further encourage smarter choices while in the car.

Parents were significantly more likely than teens to list safety as the most important reason to follow GDL laws (89% vs. 51%, respectively).

Strong graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws are an effective way to reduce teen driver crashes. The primary purpose of GDL is to keep teen drivers safe on the road. However, all state laws vary; therefore State Farm has developed recommendations for minimum GDL provisions. As a society, it’s our job to make sure teens are properly prepared to drive before they get their license

Now 18, I am pleased with how her driving has improved over the past couple of years, and am confident in her ability to handle situations behind the wheel. I think proper instruction and and gentle reminder along the way about passenger restrictions helped get her started out right.

Celebrate My Drive

State Farm has developed the Celebrate My Drive program with the simple notion that sharing and education building are more powerful than trying scare tactics. The #CelebrateMyDrive program is all about “encouraging teens to take the time to consider the excitement of the road ahead while committing to employing safer driving skills.”

After discovering that 50% of schools and families were not working to encourage safe driving choices in young drivers, State Farm wants the CMD program to get teens, their parents, and the community as a whole to commit to safe driving.

64% of teens believe hearing information from parents/guardians is effective in reducing texting while driving; however, 66% of teens indicate rarely having conversations with parents about safe driving.

State Farm has developed a selection of both tools and tips to help start and lead discussions on safe driving with teens… in a positive manner.

You can can learn more about the Celebrate My Drive program and download the conversation tools and tips on State Farm’s Teen Driving website or by liking Celebrate My Drive on Facebook.