Parent - Citrus County Tax Collector

Teen Driver Challenge
FACTS
• Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one
cause of death among youth ages 15-19. In 2007,
418 drivers age 15-19 were killed.
Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens.
• Persons age 15-19 in Florida have had the highest
fatality and injury rates of 5.09 per 100,000
population.
• 119 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes on
Florida’s roadways, including 56 teens.
• During the last 30 days, 28.5% of high school
students nationwide have ridden one or more times
in a car or other vehicle driven by someone who had
been drinking alcohol.
• Speeding is a factor in 35% of crash deaths
involving young drivers.
• A total of 43,200 people died on the nation’s
highways in 2007. Fifty-five percent of passenger
vehicle occupants who died were not wearing
seatbelts. Since 1975, seatbelts have saved more
than 225,000 lives.
• Driver distraction is the leading factor in most
crashes and near-crashes. 87% of teen deaths
involve distracted drivers. Adding one passenger
increases the fatal crash risk by 48%. A second
passenger increases the fatality risk by 158%.
• Nearly half of teens are sleep-deprived, and young
drivers cause 55% of fatigue-related crashes.
• Nearly half of teen crash deaths happen at night.
• The most common distraction for young drivers is
cell phones. Talking, listening, or texting on a handheld device increases the risk of a crash or nearcrash 1.3 times. Dialing a hand-held device
increases the risk of a crash or near-crash by almost
three times.
• The crash rate for 16-year-olds is nearly double the
rate for 19-year-olds.
• A car crash doesn’t affect just the driver. It affects
anyone in the car with the driver, the people in the
car that is hit, and the entire family of anyone in
either vehicle. It also affects the law enforcement
and the health care personnel involved. When you
get behind the wheel, you are responsible for more
than just yourself.
hrough the partnership of Sheriff Jeff Dawsy and
Superintendent of Schools Sam Himmel, many
programs have been implemented to target
student health and safety. The most recent program
implemented through this partnership is the Teen
Driver Challenge program. The Teen Driver Challenge
began as a pilot program in 2007 in several Florida
counties and is backed by the Florida Sheriffs
Association.
As a result of these combined efforts, the Teen
Driver Challenge program is providing classroom
instruction and driver training. Students completing
this course will gain knowledge and skills to better
react in dangerous driving situations that will reduce
their chance of being injured or killed.
Participants are required to have a valid Florida
Operator’s License and use their own, or parents’
vehicle, that they will be driving a majority of the time.
(The Sheriff’s Office will not provide cars for this
program.)
For more information on this 12-hour course, check
the sheriff’s website at www.sheriffcitrus.org. Students
in all three high schools can also sign up for the class
with their school resource officer. There is no cost for
this program.
T
Be a Role Model!
Watch your driving mannerisms (speeding, obeying
traffic signals, etc.) and NEVER let your teen see you
drink and drive!
Free Resources
We have compiled a list of resources for parents.
There are hundreds of free informative websites. Most
local libraries have free internet access.
www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/dlnew.html
www.statefarm.com/learning/be_safe/road/teen.asp
www.parentingteendrivers.com
www.nsc.org
www.nhtsa.com
www.ntsb.gov
www.iihs.org
www.madd.org/
CITRUS
COUNTY
TEEN
DRIVING
TA S K
FORCE
Parents’ Guide
TIPS
for helping your teen
get started the right way
1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP
GETTING A
LEARNER’S
LICENSE
OBTAINING AN
OPERATOR’S
LICENSE
TEEN’S
FIRST
CAR
BROCHURES SPONSORED BY
Chuck Everidge
Insurance Agency
Brochures created by
The Honorable Janice Warren Citrus County Tax Collector
and The Teen Driving Task Force of Citrus County
We l c o m e
he Citrus County Teen Driving Task Force was
formed following the tragic deaths of Melissa Hess
and Molly Paquin, who died four days after
graduating from Citrus
High School in May
2007. The parents of
the girls joined with
other members of the
community to create
the task force in an
effort to improve the
training and education
of young drivers and
their parents/
guardians and reduce
the number of vehiclerelated injuries and
fatalities.
T
t is very important that your teen is mentally prepared
for driving as well as physically. You will teach them
how to maneuver a car and how to handle weather
conditions. Have you thought about how your teen
will handle peer pressure? How about their feelings on
drinking and driving? What about driving when they are
stressed or upset? You need to discuss these things. Be
prepared with facts, and best of all, tell them about your
life experiences. Unfortunately, most of us know
someone who has died or been seriously injured in an
automobile accident. Talk about that with your teen, tell
them what happened and why it happened. Remember
that teens today have many more distractions than we
did. Cell phones are one of the main distractions. Ask
your teen to avoid using the phone when driving. Pulling
into a parking lot will only take an extra minute and it
could make all the difference in the world.
I
Driving Rules by Age
Make sure you know the driving rules based on your
teen’s age. Consider adding it as part of the driving
contract.
16 Years Old:
• Driving allowed between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.
• All other times must be accompanied by a licensed
driver at least 21 years old, occupying the closest seat
to the right of the driver, or be traveling to or from work.
17 Years Old:
• Driving allowed between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m.
• All other times must be accompanied by a licensed
driver at least 21 years old, occupying the closest seat
to the right of the driver, or be traveling to or from work.
At age 18, a teen is allowed to drive at all hours of the day
without a licensed passenger requirement.
STEP
1
GETTING A LEARNER’S LICENSE
Teen Driving Contract
A driving contract is a great way to express your
expectations in writing to your teen. This will help
eliminate the “didn’t know” or “but I thought” scenarios.
When you have your teen sign a written contract, you are
able to hold them accountable for their actions. You can
make your own contract or Google “Teen Driving
Contracts” for examples.
Another tool available to prepare your teen for driving is
a driving log. The log can be used when you are driving
with your teen to log scenarios and determine what your
teen may still need practice with. You can obtain a driving
log at www.hsmv.state.fl.us/teens/driving log.pdf.
STEP
2
OBTAINING AN OPERATOR’S LICENSE
What Parents Should Do
You must be sure that your teen has been subjected to
as many different driving conditions as possible. Check
your driving log and make sure you have completed all of
the field tests.
Now is a good time to revisit the driving contract that
you signed with your teen. Carefully read over the
contract and discuss it again at length. Make sure that
your teen understands what is expected.
STEP
Safety
3
TEEN’S FIRST CAR
Let your teen practice steering and braking before
setting them free in a new car. Let them discover the blind
spots and how to overcome them
Teach them what safety features their car is equipped with
and how they work (e.g. anti-lock brakes, airbags, etc.)
MAINTENANCE
Teach your teen how to keep their vehicle safe. They
need to know how to check or change windshield wipers,
headlights, taillights, blinkers, etc. Also teach your teen
how to check the tires for wear and how to check the tire
pressure.
What the State Requires
• Teen must be at least 15 years of age.
• Pass vision, road signs and road rules tests.
• Have the signature of one parent (or guardian) on the
parent consent form, if under age 18.
• Completion of Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education
course.
• Must be in compliance with school attendance, if under 18.
• Learners must always have a licensed driver 21 years of
age or older in the closest seat to the right of the driver.
• For the first three months after receiving a learner’s
license, driving is limited to daylight hours only.
• After three months, hours are extended to 10 p.m.
What the State Requires
• Teen must be at least 16 years of age and have held a
learner’s license for at least one year with no
convictions.
• Parent or guardian certification that learner has at least
50 hours of behind the wheel driving experience, of
which 10 hours must be at night.
• Must pass a driving test and perform certain driving
maneuvers, or present a waiver from an accredited
driver education course.
• Must pass a hearing and a vision test.
Rules
• Set rules for your teen to follow when they are in their
car. Set limits on the number of passengers they are
allowed to have. They should also be told to keep their
audio levels to a minimum. It is not advised to let your
teen get a super-bass subwoofer in their car.
• The use of a cell phone when driving is a very important
topic that should be covered. Encourage your teen to
pull over if they must take a phone call; otherwise return
the call later. Cell phones are the number one
distractions on the roads today.
NO ALCOHOL SHOULD BE IN THE CAR AT ANY TIME, EVER!
The First Car
Everyone remembers their first car. You may have had a nice new sports car or you got the hand-me-down family sedan.
Now that you are getting ready to put your child in their first car, you have to make sure they are going to be safe.
Your teen should practice driving the car that will be their own or that they will be driving on a regular basis. This will help
them learn how the car handles and where all the controls are.