You may be familiar with the lyrics from a popular song, “And I would walk 500 miles …” But would you ride 1,000 miles with your teen as the driver?
The answer to this question is that you should. It turns out that the first 12 months — or the first 1,000 miles — are among the riskiest driving times in any teen’s life.
To address this particularly risky time, many states have adopted Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) laws to:
- Minimize nighttime driving
- Reduce the number of teen passengers allowed
In fact, GDL laws have proven to reduce these risks by 20% to 40%.
Do you know what your state’s GDL laws are? States vary in how they’ve implemented these special licenses for teens, but the parent is really the best feature of this effort.
- Learn about GDL laws in your state
- Learn how parents can guide and monitor their teen’s new driving experience
Think 1,000. As the ultimate protector of your teen as they grow, be a key part of their safety by riding along for those first 1,000 miles and learn more about what you can do while you’re in the passenger seat.
— Lisa Robinson is a senior program manager with the National Safety Council