Georgia teens are under enormous pressure from peers to engage in risky behaviors like drinking and driving, taking illegal drugs and using prescriptions medicine not prescribed to them or unsafe doses of their own medications. Parents struggle with the responsibilities of helping teens navigate these dangerous shoals.
One useful tactic for encouraging responsible driving by teens is by implementing an agreement between teen drivers and their parents. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety suggests using these agreements as safety contracts once the teens aren’t restricted to only driving with another adult in the vehicle.
These Teen Driver/Parent Agreements can guide newly licensed teen drivers and help deter less positive influences from so-called friends and the teens’ own reckless immaturity. Having such an agreement in place can help teens avoid the pitfalls of driver’s license suspensions, arrests and deadly wrecks.The most dangerous period for young drivers is their initial year of driving independently of parents or other adults. From 15 to 19, teens are at the highest risk of injury or death from car accidents than from other means. If parents are proactive and take the time to clearly delineate which behaviors are forbidden and which should be encouraged, it can reduce the likelihood of a tragedy occurring.
When teens have demonstrated either positive or negative actions behind the wheel, they can either be rewarded with additional driving privileges or suffer the consequences of more restrictions. Teens should also understand that if they get ticketed or wind up arrested, they will need a criminal defense attorney to defend them on the charges in court.
Source: Governor’s Office Of Highway Safety In Georgia, “Georgia’s Teen Driver/Parent Agreement,” accessed April 15, 2016