Every parent wants to make a difference in his or her teen driver’s safety, but it’s not always easy to know if what you’re doing is working.

Will having another teen in the car really lead to a crash? Will 10 extra practice hours really make your new driver safer? Is it that big a deal if your teen stays out driving until 10 p.m., instead of 9 p.m. We designed our New Driver Deal to help you set these rules and limits, but we also know how difficult it can be to stick to them (especially when your teen wants just a little more freedom behind the wheel).

Fortunately, there’s a tool to help. Known as a Graduated licensing calculator, this resource from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows you the real-world impact of adjusting the driving rules for your teen in clear terms: crashes and fatalities.

We’ll use our home state of Illinois as an example to see how small changes can increase or decrease these risks.

In Illinois, the state-mandated driving curfew for teens is 11 p.m., but let’s say you want to change it to a still-reasonable 9 p.m. Your teen might argue that those two hours don’t make a difference, but this would actually decrease your teen’s fatal crash risk by five percent. If you’re considering going the other way, however, and rolling back your teen’s driving curfew to midnight, you’d actually be increasing your teen’s risk of a fatal crash by two percent.

Those numbers might seem relatively small, but in a dangerous situation they’ll mean everything. Consider the rules around passengers in the car. Illinois allows teens to drive unsupervised with one teen passenger, but banning these passengers would reduce your teen’s risk of a fatal crash by 16 percent. Allowing two passengers, on the other hand, actually increases this risk by seven percent.

In fact, just making these changes – no passengers, setting the curfew at 9 p.m. and racking up 70 practice hours – reduces your teen’s fatal crash risk by 21 percent. That’s not just a number, it’s a reality that could literally save your teen’s life.

We encourage you to try this tool out and see what changes you can make to better protect your new driver. We know it’s not always easy to put your foot down and stick to these rules, but hopefully this gives you a new perspective on the difference you can actually make.

Article originally found on nsc.org.

Though they might seem common to us, highways are challenging environments for new teen drivers.

Picture it: speeding cars packed into a few lanes, where the situations change suddenly with little room for error. Throw in other common hazards, from distracted drivers to construction zones, and the danger is clear, particularly for inexperienced teens.

You can help keep your new driver safe in these scenarios, but he or she needs to know what to prepare for and avoid. As we approach National Teen Driver Safety Week, here are a few highway issues and tips to cover with your teen.

Following distance

Does your teen know how long it takes to bring a vehicle to a full stop? On most roads, this isn’t much of a concern, since we often have plenty of time and space to stop for a light or hazard. On highways, however, traffic can go from high speeds to dead stops without much warning, putting your teen and the drivers ahead of and behind him or her at risk.

Teaching your teen about sudden braking can help illustrate this danger, but the best preventative tip is to drive slower and increase your following distance between vehicles. This gives your teen more time to react and avoid a crash when traffic speeds change or in case another hazard pops up, like a driver with dim or missing brake lights stopping in front of you. It’s best to leave several car-lengths clear ahead of you, and if other vehicles merge into this space, slow down until you regain this room.

Cruise control

The old standby for long drives, cruise control can be a handy tool, but it is not free of risks. Similar to other safety features, your teen should know how to safely use cruise control without relying on it to drive for him or her. You want your teen to understand the basics, like how to set and deactivate this feature, long before using it on a crowded highway. Since properly using cruise control requires a number of skills, from concentration and situational awareness to the ability to judge the speeds and gaps between vehicles, this is a skill your teen will only learn with practice.

Have your teen try this feature out on straight, quiet roads without much traffic so he or she understands how to slow or stop the vehicle from a set speed. Cruise control can put a driver at ease, particularly when used for long stretches at a time, so remind your teen to stay focused at all times when using it.

Everybody’s doing it

It’s a simple truth that people drive fast on the highway and they tend to get frustrated when you don’t do the same. But that’s no reason to speed, drive erratically or make tight merges. Though drivers often say, ‘I was just going with the flow of traffic,’ your teen should know that is not a valid excuse.

The simple layout of a highway goes like this: faster speeds in the left lane for passing, slower speeds on the right. What does that mean for your teen? Stick to the center lanes, where you won’t be in the way of drivers going too fast or using the exit and entrance ramps. This allows you to stick to the speed limit – even if other drivers are exceeding it – and keep an eye on the surrounding lanes for potential hazards.

Remember: your teen’s goal is to arrive at the destination safely, not to get there first. Drive this point home as your teen gains experience on highways and on all roads, crowded or not.

Article originally found on nsc.org.

Practicing with your teen driver is the best way to build experience. If you’re not sure where to start, our 52 Pointers for Parents will help. These lessons, which have been reviewed and vetted by a driver education professional, are your roadmap to teen driver safety.

To make it easy, you can sign up and get a new lesson delivered straight to your inbox each week. Or, you can browse all of the Pointers at your own speed. Once you get started, take a look at the tips below to get the most out of practicing with your teen.Sign up Today

Quick Tips for Using These Lessons

When practicing driving with your teen, start with low-risk situations and work up to more risky situations. Begin in daylight, good weather and on remote roads or empty parking lots. Then, you can gradually move to dusk and nighttime driving, inclement weather and busier roads. Start with basic skills (turning, parking and backing up) before moving to more complex skills. And, keep other passengers out of the vehicle when practicing with your teen. Neither of you need the distraction.

Remember:

• Be calm and patient – If you just had an argument or someone is upset, wait to take the drive. Make sure the atmosphere is right for a good experience.
• Expect mistakes – The only way your teen can learn is to make mistakes, so accept this, be positive and try to help minimize risk when the mistakes happen. Praise correct driving.
• Give proper instructions – Explain what your teen should do in advance, in a clear, calm voice.
• Stay focused – Remember that your teen is still learning, and you are the experienced driver. Scan the roadway for hazards and be ready to react, eliminate distractions, and always encourage this behavior in your teen.
• Drive the way you want your teen to drive – Remember, teens see their parents as role models. That doesn’t change when they get their license. When you are behind the wheel, don’t do anything you wouldn’t want your teen to do. If they catch you – admit to your mistakes. It shows your new driver that it is never too late to start driving safely.

Article originally found on nsc.org.

The most important thing you can do for your new teen driver is to stay involved in their driving life. Your teen might find it intrusive and you might feel that you don’t always have the time, but it’s important. Even though they’ve completed driver’s ed and they have a license, your input, advice and guidance is critical to helping your teen driver become a safe, responsible member of the driving community.

By spending some time as a passenger while your teen driver—30 minutes a week is good, an hour is better—you can get a handle on what they’re doing right…and where they need some help. Not sure where to start? Checkout the Digital Driving Coach for some practice lessons. They’re great to use for beginners or as a jumping off point for teens that have more driving experience.

Rules are also important. They help set guidelines for your teen driver—and you—so that everyone is on the same page when it comes to driving safety and responsibility. Setting up the ground rules helps you head off questions like:

• “How late can I drive?”
• “Can I have the car on Friday night?”
• “Can I give my friends a ride?”
• “Can I drive to the concert across town?”
• “Who’s paying for insurance?”
• “Do I need to put gas in the car before I come home?”

Our New Driver Deal is a paren-teen agreement which helps you set rules and expectations for your household. We provide the framework, based on best practices and GDL, but we also encourage parents to add additional rules that make the most sense for your household.

So, read through the site and take advantage of our resources—we have everything you need to put your teen on the road to a lifetime of safe driving.

Article originally found on driveithome.org.

Car crashes are the number one killer of teens. In 2015, the year of the most recent data, there were 3,327 teen motor vehicle deaths—more than homicide, more than suicide.

As their parents, we want to keep them safe—and we can, if we understand the risks teenagers face. We can help them beat the odds by staying involved as they gain experience over that first year, as they transition from novice to experienced driver.

DriveitHOME™ is a resource for parents. We encourage you to refer to and share proven, effective ways to help our teen drivers through this most dangerous year…and beyond.

How to Get Started

Here are three easy things you can do to get your teen on the path to safer driving:

• Sign the New Driver Deal, a road map to safer driving you can discuss with your teen.
• Use the Digital Driving Coach for tips and lessons you can practice with your licensed teen.
• Stay involved with your teen driver. Share your experiences—challenges, tactics, tips, and what’s working for you—with other parents. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and check out our blog. If you see something you like—or if you have a different approach—leave a comment!

Get the Latest Teen Driving News

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Every parent needs some advice now and then. Visit the DriveitHOME blog to stay up-to-speed.

Article originally found on DriveitHOME.org™

Teens have more time for adventures when high school is out for the summer, but these escapades can often turn deadly when they’re driving.

Ohio dad Brock Dietrich knows this all too well. His 17-year-old daughter, Sydnee Williams, died in a 2013 car crash after using her phone behind the wheel.

“She was not wearing her seat belt either, and so as a result, she was thrown from the vehicle and suffered fatal head trauma,” says Dietrich. He now works with the nonprofit organization Impact Teen Drivers to educate teens and parents on the dangers of driving while distracted and safe driving practices.

Parents should keep the following facts in mind when talking to their teen about safe driving.

1. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teens. Plus, the number of teen crash fatalities tends to rise during the summer months, according to a AAA analysis.

These accidents are often preventable. Parents can help by modeling appropriate behavior, such as by turning off or silencing cellphones prior to driving, and by discussing what safe driving looks like, says Dietrich. These actions should begin at an early age and continue once a teen is licensed.

“I have the regret of, I didn’t do a good enough job of modeling that normal, good driving behavior for Sydnee,” says Dietrich. “I live with the guilt that she learned some of the behaviors from watching me.”

The National Safety Council and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offer online resources for parents of teen drivers.

2. Often people other than the teen driver get injured or killed. And all states have graduated driver licensing laws, which can include restrictions on passengers for teen drivers. Dietrich had rules for his daughter that were stricter than laws in his state, he says. The night of the crash, she was only allowed to have one passenger in the car, but actually had two.

“There’s lots of rules thrown at teenagers,” he says. Teens need an explanation as to why those rules are important – something he says he didn’t provide to his daughter – or else they will rebel, he says.

3. About half of teens who died in car accidents weren’t wearing a seat belt. Teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use, despite the fact they cut crash-related injuries and deaths by about half, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One passenger in Sydnee’s car was wearing a seat belt appropriately and walked away from the crash physically uninjured, Dietrich says. The other passenger was wearing a seat belt too, but she placed the shoulder harness behind her back and suffered serious injuries.

Dietrich says the passengers told him that on the night of the crash, Sydnee – who typically wore her seat belt – was wearing it early in the evening, but forgot to put it on the last time she got in the car.

“They let what’s going on at the time when they get in the car distract them from what they really need to do,” he says. Teens need to make a habit of making sure everyone is wearing a seat belt each time they hit the road.

Distractions are often a factor in teen crashes.

“It’s not that the teens are intentionally going out there attempting to be reckless,” Dietrich says.

He believes that cellphones, for example, have become so ingrained in our culture that when a phone rings, people don’t even think before they respond. When someone gets in a car, it’s just their natural reaction to look at their phones when they get an alert. Teens may see adults displaying this behavior and think it’s OK.

“It comes down to not lecturing to them, but providing the teens with the information to encourage them to make the right decisions when they are in the car,” he says.

Original story by Alexandra Pannoni for USNews.

Distracted Driving Research Statistics

NSC has compiled a large amount of research on distracted driving, including data on:

• Crashes
• Hands-free devices
• Cognitive distraction
• Texting while driving
• Cell phones compared to alcohol-impaired driving
• Teens and young drivers
• Evaluation of laws and enforcement

You can find research and statistics on these and many other topics here.

Hands-free is Not Risk-free

With some state laws focusing on handheld bans and carmakers putting hands-free technology in vehicles, it’s no wonder people are confused. However, while many drivers honestly believe they are making the safe choice by using a hands-free device, it’s just not true. Your brain remains distracted by the conversation. Learn more about distracted driving.

Employers Bring About Change

While no state has a law prohibiting all cell phone use while driving, employers are putting policies in place banning the use of handheld and hands-free devices to eliminate cell phone distracted driving and keep their employees safe. Learn more about distracted driving.

Free Cell Phone Policy Kit To help make it easier to put a policy together, NSC has created a free kit with all the materials you need to build leadership support for a cell phone policy and tools to communicate to employees.Download the kit

What’s new?

• Safety organizations, like NSC, are concerned with the new dashboard infotainment systems going into vehicles
• Voice-to-text is actually more distracting than typing texts

Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Did you know there is a lot you can do to help prevent distracted driving?

• Stop using your phone while driving
• Use social media to tell others about the dangers of cell phone distracted driving
• Take the pledge to drive cell-free
• Learn more about Distracted Driving Awareness Month