It can be an exciting time when you have a teen driver in the house, but it’s also a time when you have to set strong ground rules and really know the laws. That way you can protect your teen as much as possible and teach them to be safe on the road. Those are both very important parts of being a parent, and they’re worth considering and learning about. California Drivers Ed is one of the best ways for you and your teen driver to be prepared, but it’s about more than basic traffic laws. Your teen also needs to understand the driving curfews, so they don’t violate the law by accident simply be being out of the house too late.

Getting a License at 16 Doesn’t Mean Ultimate Freedom

There aren’t too many restrictions for teen drivers, but one of the most important ones is the curfew. For the first 12 months after earning their license, teens aren’t allowed to be on the roads between 11pm and 5am. There are exceptions for teens who work late or early shifts, though. If they have a signed statement from their employer about the hours they’re working, they’re legal to be on the road because the reason they’re out is valid and important. Without the statement, they could be ticketed. Even though there’s an online traffic school for ticket dismissal, it’s better and easier to avoid the ticket in the first place.

Keep in mind that it’s not just for 16-year-old drivers. Since the curfew is in effect for the first 12 months after a license is earned, someone who’s 17 when they get their license will still have a curfew to contend with. Age isn’t the main reason for the curfew being dropped or not in effect unless someone doesn’t get their license until they’re already out of their teenage years. At that point, they wouldn’t need to worry about the curfew or the teen driving laws, even though they’re a new driver.

Passenger Requirements Are Important, Too

It’s not just about the curfews when it comes to what’s acceptable for teen drivers. They also must be careful who they have in the car with them, since they can’t have passengers under 20 years old for the first 12 months. Just like with the curfew rules, though, there are exceptions. If someone in the car is over 25, then there can be other people in the car who are under 20. That makes it legal for a teen driver to take one of their parents somewhere along with their younger siblings, for example. The goal is to reduce distractions, which can be especially bad for drivers who don’t have a lot of experience on the roads yet.

Will the Curfew Be Changed?

There are plans and attempts to change laws all the time, and the teen driving curfew in California is no exception. One lawmaker in 2017 lost his 20-year-old daughter in a car crash and introduced legislation that would keep the curfew and other requirements for teen drivers in place until they turned 21, instead of just for the first 12 months after they received their license. Opponents of this change argue that it’s too intrusive for people who work and go to school, for example, or who have other obligations that require them to drive between the hours of 11pm and 5am. Whether or not the law gets changed, though, it’s very important that you and your teen driver know and understand the information that California Drivers Ed offers so the laws can be followed properly.

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This week is an opportunity for people around the nation to take a moment and think about the safe driving habits (or lack thereof) of the teen drivers they know. This applies to parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Anyone who knows a teenager should also know that vehicle collisions remain the most common cause of death for that age group.

Despite a consistently aggressive approach to teen driving safety by schools, police and traffic safety groups, more teens die in vehicle accidents than any other way, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With all the attention focused lately on the dangers of distracted driving, many did not make the connection between teenagers and these same handheld devices causing so many accidents. Teenagers as a group are the single largest user of handheld devices. They send millions of more text messages each month than any other group, and they are also avid social media network users, checking in daily on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.

This type of semi-addicted behavior toward technology, couple with their inexperience behind the wheel creates the perfect storm of dangerous driving habits.

More than any other time, this week is devoted to reminding teenagers that although they might feel immortal, they simply are not. Studies have shown that when it comes to people they are most likely to listen to, parents have the most positive impact on their own children. Sit down with your kids this week, even the ones who might not be old enough to drive yet, and discuss the risks inherent in getting behind the wheel. Set some ground rules for the teenagers you have who are ready to get behind the wheel. Make certain they understand that you require them to employ defensive driving techniques because you love them, care about them and know the odds are against them when it comes to surviving their teen driving years. And don’t be afraid to set decidedly draconian punishments if they fail to follow rules such as “no cell phones behind the wheel” or seat belts must always be worn by every passenger in the vehicle.

If you love your teenagers and want to keep them safe, then celebrate National Teen Driver Safety Week the right way–the safe way.

According to the 2011 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, teenagers are driving more safely than they did just 10 years ago. Among the results of the survey were some very interesting statistics including that use of seat belts increased from 74 percent to 92 percent for teenage drivers and riders.

Also surprising, those who admitted they had been riding with a driver who had been drinking alcohol is down to 24 percent from 40 percent and drunk driving reports decreased to 8 percent from 17 percent.

Those are huge declines in three major areas considered by public safety experts to be prime cause of teen driving deaths. Fatal traffic collisions are still most common among teen drivers and vehicle crashes remain the number killer of teenagers.

Anything which can be done to reduce the number of teen deaths should be attempted, but so far, no tried and true method for decreasing teen driving deaths has been found. Our Online Traffic School is used by many parents and teen drivers themselves to help prepare inexperienced drivers for the rigors of being a defensive driver. In some states drivers can actually get a discount on their driving insurance for completing our online course. This is a further incentive for teen drivers to get certified online.

While traffic collisions remain a number one killer of teenagers, insurance companies, public safety advocates and parents continue to struggle with the best possible methods for helping create a safer environment for them and the people who ride with them and share the roads with them.

More research has been done on teens and the dangers of distracted driving in the last six months than in the previous 100 years of existence of the automobile. Of course, the dangers of distracted driving have only recently come to light. The ubiquitous nature of handheld devices and the many uses for them has led many people to consider these devices, and their use, an integral part of surviving in the modern world.

For years it has been common knowledge that teenagers are the most adept at using these devices and the most frequent “texters.” Stories of teenagers texting hundreds or even thousands of times every month have become as common as the devices themselves. It sometimes seems not a month goes by that some unsuspecting parents doesn’t receive a cell phone bill way over their monthly limit.

A recent report by the National Transportation Safety Board raised awareness of distracted driving by citing a study which showed that fatalities caused by distracted driving now outnumbered the fatalities caused by drunken driving crashes. It also showed that in the majority of those case teenage drivers were involved.

The National Institutes or Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both concur that traffic crashes are the number one cause of death for teenagers in the United States. The link between these statistics is unmistakeable.

As lawmakers struggle to control the actions of drivers behind the wheel by limiting their ability to text and drive or use any sort of handheld device at all, parents are left to fend for themselves when it comes to warning their teenagers about the dangers of texting and driving.

In the meantime, whether you have a teenage driver in your house or not, be aware of the danger and drive defensively. And put your cell phone in the glove box.

According to both the National Transportation Safety Board and AAA, when it comes to the likelihood of having a vehicle crash, teen drivers are far and away at the top of the list.

First time drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a serious vehicle crash than older, more experienced drivers. In fact, the key ingredient is not their age as much as it is their inexperience behind the wheel. Teen drivers are also first time drivers, meaning they often lack the real world experience required to make good decisions behind the wheel. This lack of experience causes them to over-react or under react; misjudge timing, over or under estimate their speed, and generally not respond as they should during high stress or dangerous situations.

In response to the mounting evidence that teen drivers are at a much higher risk of having a serious crash than any other drivers, many states have begun instituting a graduated driver’s licensing program. In these states teen are granted first a learner’s permit which allows them to only drive with another adult, fully licensed driver in the vehicle with them during specific times of the day. Once they show they are capable of performing the skills required of a safe driver they are given a license with more driving privileges. They must continue to demonstrate excellent driving skills before being allowed to proceed to a fully permitted license.

In other states teen drivers are required to successfully complete a traffic school program to learn basic defensive driving skills. As a side benefit, completion of a defensive driving course often can lead to reduced insurance rates for teen drivers providing a further incentive.

When it comes to teenage drivers, studies show that the more practical experience they can get behind the wheel, the better driver and the safer they are. Increasing the skills of the growing number of teen drivers will also lead to safer streets for all of us to share.

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Driving stupid, which means breaking the speed limit, distracted driving or any sort of reckless driving, is bad enough. But if you’re dumb enough to post video of yourself doing it on your social media network, or brag about it via social media, you deserve to be busted.

That’s the lesson being learned by stupid drivers across the country as sharing information becomes ever easier and flagrant disregard for traffic safety becomes synonymous with “being cool.”

There is nothing cool about breaking the law, especially if it puts you, your passengers or some perfect stranger at risk just so you can show-off for your friends. Posting video of your illegal conduct online only serves to show the entire world just how un-cool you are, not to mention stupid.

The fact is, more teens are killed in traffic crashes than by any other means. Distracted driving is the worst offender, but in many cases drugs or alcohol, excessive speed, reckless driving and just plain stupid behavior are also root causes. I wish I could wave a magic wand and convince every kid not to take their life in their hands when they get behind the wheel. The fact is, statistically, even if you are a safe driver you are more likely to die in a car than on an airplane, boat or even while sky diving. It’s not the safest mode of travel ever devised when it’s done correctly. When it’s done incorrectly, or stupidly, it is the perfect mix of bravado and carnage.

So, come to think of it, I hope more kids post videos of themselves doing stupid things behind the wheel. It makes them easier to catch and easier to convict. The police regularly surf social media for viral videos of kids in their district doing dangerous or illegal things. Once they see the video they have the evidence, and only need to find the kids to make them pay for their actions.

And maybe a few years without a license will teach them to be safe drivers and not risk lives just for a few cheap thrills.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

New Jersey already has a strict graduated driver’s license program for new teen drivers. They impose severe limitations on how much training a new teen driver must receive, when they can drive, who can they drive with and how long they must drive with a learner’s permit before taking to the roads on their own.

Now New Jersey legislators are trying to make the requirements for new teen drivers even more strict by requiring them, and their legal parent or guardian, to successfully complete a driver orientation program and provide proof of completion to the driver’s license board before being given their learner’s permit. The new law would be required of all new drivers under the age of 21. The new law would also increase the time they must drive with a learner’s permit from six months to a full 12 months.

Traffic school is a benefit for all drivers, but New Jersey doesn’t stop there.

Right now, new teen drivers in New Jersey who are 16 years old can only obtain a student learner’s permit through a behind-the-wheel driver education course of at least six hours, or wait until they are 17 to get their learner’s permit. They are permitted to drive only with an adult, and with no more than one other passenger in the car other than their parents or guardians. They are totally banned from using any type of hand-held device while behind the wheel and may not drive after 11 p.m. or before 5 a.m., unless they have a special dispensation for driving to work or school. Once they are 17 and have completed the requirements young drivers can get a probationary license which allows unsupervised driving. They must hold this license for a minimum of 12 months in order to qualify for a basic driver license.

Every teen driver is required to ensure every passenger in their vehicle wears a seatbelt and receives a red sticker which they must apply to their license plate to signify they are a teen driving. Also in New Jersey, no court may reduce a moving violation receive by a teen driver.

Fortunate for teen drivers, though they do pose an increased risk to other drivers, they receive a 5 percent discount on their insurance premiums for successfully completing an online traffic school. Plus, the increased practice hasn’t hurt anyone.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When it comes to defensive driving, nobody takes is more seriously than the police. These are the folks who are on the scene of every crash. They have seen the worst that can happen when a distracted driver loses control, crosses the median and slams head-on into traffic headed the other way. They measure the skid marks of drivers who carelessly exceed the speed limit, risking their own lives and the lives everyone on the road with them just so they can arrive at their destination a few seconds earlier. Worst of all, they are the ones that make the dreaded phone call to family or friends of someone who was killed in a car crash.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, motor vehicle vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, accounting for a full 30 percent of all teen deaths. This statistic has not changed for several years, proving that despite efforts to turn the tide, teens are still not getting the message.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 have the highest annual traffic violation and crash rate regardless of being male or female. They are also more likely to have a crash when there are passengers in their car, not uncommon when one teen has a car and they want to go somewhere. In fact, they are more than three times as likely to crash when their friends on on-board than when they are driving alone.

This might be part of the reason the California Highway Patrol is offering free driver safety classes for teen drivers. There is no better time to take a California online traffic school than when you are young. Teen drivers are the most likely to be involved in traffic fatalities. They lack the experience required to make good decisions about what is safe behavior behind the wheel and what is not worth the risk.

A traffic school is a great way to help your teenage driver understand the risks inherent in getting behind the wheel of a 4,000 pound missile made of plastic and steel, and pushing down on the accelerator. It helps them understand the dangers of distracted driving; the risks of not wearing their seat belt, and the obvious ramifications of not properly following all traffic signals and safety laws.

Anyone who has a teenager at home knows the difficulties of convincing them to alter their behavior for anything. But when their life is on the line, a California traffic school seems worth every minute.

• Guidelines and steps for applying for a new California Driver’s License for teens – Read more at Applying for a New California Driver’s License (For Teens).