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"Regardless of what the state law says, parents
should not allow their teens to ride with other teen
drivers, nor should they be allowed to transport other
teens in the first year of driving," said Darbelnet.
"It's tempting to be lured by the convenience of
having other options for getting kids to and from school
and other activities, but the risks are just too great."
Recognizing that parents may feel awkward about enforcing
rules other parents are not enforcing, AAA unveiled
a new parent discussion guide to help parents work as
a team to ensure teens gain driving experience in the
safest driving environment possible during that first
year.
"Parents who understand the risks recognize that
it is important to keep teens from riding with other
teens, even if it means playing 'chauffer' for a year
or more," said Darbelnet.
With car crashes being the leading cause of death for
teenagers, AAA set an ambitious goal in 1997 to pass
GDL laws in all 50 states. The goal was achieved when
both Wyoming and Montana enacted laws in 2005. These
legislative efforts have helped save lives by requiring
teens to get more supervised behind-the-wheel driving
experience and phased-in driving privileges restricted
to low-risk times and situations, until a full license
is granted. However, not all GDL laws are comprehensive.
AAA Clubs are now focused on strengthening the state
GDL laws by adding or improving passenger and nighttime
restrictions, and fine tuning other components to make
the laws more comprehensive.The teen driver crash data
analysis was conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety. The Foundation analyzed data from the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis
Reporting System (FARS) from 1995 through 2004, examining
fatal crashes involving 15-, 16-, and 17-year-old drivers
of passenger vehicles.
AAA
As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel
organization, AAA provides nearly 49 million members
with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related
services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit,
fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate
for the safety and security for all travelers.
(Source:
AAA)
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