Teen Driving ~

On March 27th, my aunt, daughter and I all traveled to the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina to attend the Drive It Home event sponsored by the AllState Foundation and the National Safety Council. The Drive It Home event is a 14 stop tour {Greenville being the first stop} that brings driver safety tips and statistics to parents to share with their teens.

DriveItHome.org – The Basics

We had no idea what to expect when we attended the Drive It Home program on teen driving, but we felt that it was important to attend. I remember what it was like to to learn how to drive and I know what it is like to try to teach a teen how to drive. It can be nerve wrecking on both ends. Any chance to gain some useful information and new methods of teaching from someone else seems like a great idea to me.

Despite the fact that nine in 10 parents say it’s very important for teens to learn to manage night driving and driving with passengers, one in three parents admit they have not adequately covered these items with their teen.

Second City And Drive It Home

The Drive It Home show was fun! I really thought it might be an informative speech {which I like} but it was a FUN and informative speech {which I like better}. Members from Second City {where Jim Belushi and other comedians got their start} hosted the program which was broken into skits. The program was entertaining and we learned some alarming statistics about teens and driving. The hosts also did role playing to help parents better learn how to communicate with their kids about driving safety. I especially loved the skit where the mom wouldn’t get off the cell phone. She kept texting while complaining about her daughter’s inability to pay attention to what was going on around her. I think that oftentimes as adults we tell children what to do without always leading by example.

I had not been to the Peace Center or Greenville previously but it is a very pretty little city. I live about 3.5 hours away and it was interesting to see how the traffic patterns and even sign placement can be different in each city. Since my daughter is a relatively new driver, this turned out to also be a learning part of the evening. Other people in the car helped navigate directions, road signs, etc., while I drove. I think that we often get too comfortable in what we know and sometimes traveling to areas outside our comfort zone is a good reminder of what our teens might feel like when driving for the first time.

Sobering Statistics On Teen Driving

South Carolina teens must log a minimum of 40 hours of driving practice before they can obtain a driver’s license.

Towards the end of the event, we heard a mother’s heartbreaking story of losing her son to a car accident. I believe that she said that her son was 19 and the person driving had just received their license a few days earlier. The part that hurt me most was when she said that the driver was going so fast that her son was ejected from the car {even though he was wearing a seatbelt} and that the motor was thrown into the woods. I can’t imagine going through something like this. It was so brave of her to share her story and I can’t imagine how many people she has helped by sharing it. Too many people think “it can’t happen to me.” It can.

Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens.

Parents can sign up at driveithome.org to receive weekly tips emailed to them to share with their teen. They can also sign a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement. I am particularly excited about this part as I always want to learn more so that I can more effectively teach my daughter to drive safely. After all, the more we know, the better equipped we are to teach.

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.