Att 7 Teen driving booklet 2

REDUCING
THE
RISKS

THE PARENT ROLE IN TEEN DRIVING

CHECK

POINTS
Made easier with the Checkpoints Program

Welcome to the World of Teen Driving!
Teenagers want to drive, and parents want to reduce their “chauffeur”
duties. However, teen driving is dangerous. Motor vehicle crashes are
the nation’s leading cause of death and injury for teenagers. The risk is
greatest in the first months after licensure.
Rhode Island’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) law aims to decrease
teen driving risk by introducing
teenagers to driving in phases. But
the law is general, and each family’s situation is unique. Parents
can further reduce the risks of
teen driving by fulfilling the

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POINTS

“Parent Role in Teen Driving.”

What is the parent role in teen driving?
1. Know Rhode Island’s GDL law
2. Know what to do in the instruction permit and
provisional license phases
3. Know how to increase your teen driver’s safety

Why Is the parent role so important?
Fulfilling the parent role in teen driving is very
important because teenagers whose parents are
involved in their early driving experience are
safer drivers; they:

4 Engage in fewer risky driving behaviors
4 Are less likely to violate traffic laws
4 Are less likely to crash

The Checkpoints Program can and will help your family manage the
risks associated with your teen driver.

1. Know Rhode Island’s GDL Law
Rhode Island’s Graduated Driver Licensing program is designed to
increase the safety of teen drivers. The Instruction Permit and Provisional
License allow teen drivers time to gain valuable driving experience
before they receive an unrestricted Full Operator’s License. This table
summarizes Rhode Island GDL laws for teens under age 18.

2. Know what to do in the Instruction
and Provisional License Phases
GDL introduces teens to driving in phases, but becoming a safe and proficient driver still takes years of experience. You will help increase your
teen’s safety by being an actively involved parent at each level of your
teen’s driving.

Instruction Permit Period
LEVEL

Limited
Operator’s
1 Limited
Instruction Permit 2 Provisional License
3 Full
License

AGE

At least 16

At least 16 1/2

At least 17 1/2

Driver’s Education
Certificate
Social Security Card
Birth Certificate or
Passport
Parent present or
notarized consent
form
$10 application fee

Permit 6 months
50 hours of practice
driving (10 at night)
No moving, alcohol, or
safety belt tickets for
past 6 months
Parent present or notarized license application
$10 fee

Provisional license 12
months or turn 18
No moving, alcohol, or
safety belt tickets for
past 6 months

Parent consent form*
Permit application
Written exam
Vision test

License application*
Practice driving
certificate
On-road driving test

None

MUST
Use safety belt
Be supervised by a
licensed adult
Hold permit 6
months
Obtain 50 hours of
practice driving (10
at night)

MUST
Not drive between
1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
unless supervised
Have no more than 1
unrelated passenger
under 21
Hold provisional license
for 12 months or to
age 18

Same as for all drivers
with a Full Operator’s
License

REQUIREMENTS

FORMS,
TESTS, &
EXAMS

CONDITIONS

Driver education provides instruction on traffic laws and the basic rules of
driver behavior. But, this is just the beginning. Teens need A lot of practice.
Rhode Island requires you to provide your teen with at least 50 hours of
practice (at least 10 at night) during the Instruction Permit phase. So, during
the permit period, you should:
n Provide as much practice as possible. Practice with teen and parent only
in the vehicle. Do not trust the safety of your whole family to the least
experienced driver!

n Begin with basic vehicle management skills such as turning, parking, and
backing up. Gradually introduce driving on quiet roads, in traffic, on
highways, and at night or in bad weather. Keep sessions short, an hour
or less.
n Remember that making mistakes is part of learning, so make sure the
practice driving conditions are well within your teen’s abilities.

Provisional License Period

* Parent consent: Teenage driving is a privilege to be given by families,
not a right. Consent of a parent or guardian is required for a minor to
obtain a permit, provisional license, or full license. That consent can be
revoked at any time.

Although you have been providing your teen with practice, your teen must
still learn how to drive independently – to drive sensibly and to recognize
and respond to hazards – and do it time after time. This happens with the
Provisional License, when your teen gains experience and trial-and-error
lessons. This is the most dangerous time for every novice driver! During
the Provisional License period, you should:
n Treat this period as your teen’s next stage in training. With a new
Provisional License, your teen has only the MINIMUM qualifications to
drive independently. Continue to supervise and monitor your teen’s driving.
n Limit your teen’s early independent driving to the least dangerous driving
conditions. It takes months before many driving tasks become automatic.
Concentration and attention are critical during those months. Any distractions or unfamiliar conditions can have serious consequences.

n Remember that new drivers improve most rapidly in the first few months
of independent driving, but they continue to improve over the next year or
two of independent driving.

3. Know how to increase your teen
driver’s safety
MYTHS VS. FACTS
Parent involvement in teen driving during the first year increases safety.
Below are some common myths about teen driver safety and the facts
which dispute them.

MYTHS

FACTS

My teen is responsible and would not drive
dangerously, so s/he is not at risk.

All teen drivers are at high risk, particularly
during the early months and years of licensure because they lack driving experience
and judgment that only come with time.

My teen had plenty of practice and knows
how to turn, park, and manage traffic, so
s/he is not at risk.

Managing the vehicle is only the beginning.
All teen drivers should get substantial independent driving experience in low-risk conditions to become safe and proficient drivers.

By having a car, my teen will learn to take
responsibility.

Teens with their own vehicles drive more
and thus are at greater risk.

It would be safer if my teen had a friend in
the car, in case something happens.

Even “responsible” friends in the car can be
distracting. Crash risks are nearly doubled
with one teen passenger – and go up with
every extra passenger.

Driving siblings around will help the family
and also give my teen more driving experience.

Be very careful about trusting the safety of
your family to the least experienced driver!
Teens should not be responsible for driving
any family members for at least six months
after licensure.

Other parents do not set limits on their
teens’ driving.

Nearly all parents DO set limits, and teens
expect limits. The stronger the limits, the
better the safety outcome.

The GDL laws in Rhode Island are sufficient
to protect teen drivers.

GDL requirements are just a minimum. To
increase teen safety, parents need to establish strict driving limits for the first year of
driving.

Parents Can Help Increase the Safety of Teen Drivers
Driving is dangerous
for everyone, but it is
more dangerous for
teen drivers, especially
in their first months of
independent driving.
Teen drivers crash
more than any other
age group. Teens are
usually at fault in
crashes due to a combination of driver characteristics and highrisk driving conditions. Make your teen’s driving privileges depend on following
the recommendations below.

DRIVER CHARACTERISTICS
DRIVING INEXPERIENCE: Regardless of driver age, inexperience is the
single most important risk factor for crashes. Teens show the greatest
improvement within the first year and several thousand miles of independent driving. They also continue to improve for several years.
Recommendation: Limit driving under high risk conditions until
your teen has a great deal of independent driving experience.
RISKY DRIVING BEHAVIORS: Teenagers commit more risky driving
behaviors than any other age
group. These include speeding,
running lights and stop signs, tailgating, weaving through traffic,
and not allowing safe space for
merging or changing lanes. Teens
with strict parental limits engage
in less risky driving behavior.
Recommendation: Frequently emphasize the requirement that
your teen follow all traffic laws and set strict limits on high-risk
driving conditions.

HIGH-RISK DRIVING CONDITIONS
PASSENGERS: For teen drivers, the risk of a crash increases with each
additional teen passenger. Even responsible and trustworthy teen passengers are distracting. With a Provisional License your teen is allowed to
drive with NO MORE than one teen friend. However, crash risks are
nearly doubled with one teen passenger—and go up with every extra
passenger. The less driving experience your teen has, the greater the
risk.
Recommendation: Limit your teen to NO teen passengers for the
first six months of independent driving.
NIGHTTIME DRIVING: The
most severe teen crashes
occur at night. Night driving
is more difficult and dangerous, because of limited visibility, drinking drivers on
the road, and higher
speeds. With a Provisional
License teens cannot drive
from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
However, many serious teen driver crashes occur between 9 p.m. and
1 a.m. particularly during the first six months of driving.
Recommendation: Set an early driving curfew for your teen:
8 p.m. for the first month, 9 p.m. for the next five months, and
11 p.m. for the rest of the first year.
ADVERSE WEATHER: Rain, ice, snow,
fog—they make driving more dangerous for all drivers. However, teen drivers do not have enough experience in
these conditions to be able to react
safely.
Recommendation: Limit your teen’s driving in adverse weather:
allow driving only in good weather for the first month and
moderate weather for the next five months.

HIGH SPEEDS AND HIGH-SPEED ROADS: As speeds increase, so do
teen crash risk, crash forces, and crash severity.
Recommendation: Limit
your teen’s driving to local
roads for the first month,
and to no high-speed
roads for the next five
months.
SAFETY BELT NON-USE: Safety
belts reduce the risk of serious injury in a crash by 45%, and teens have
lower safety belt use than any other age group.
Recommendation: Require safety belt use for your teen driver
and all passengers, at all times.
DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE: Any amount of alcohol or drugs
produces impairment in teens. Teens are inexperienced with driving
and with alcohol and drugs. This is a deadly combination, not to mention illegal.
Recommendation: Prohibit your teen from DRIVING OR
RIDING with anyone who has been using alcohol or other
substances.
DRIVING A LESS-THAN-SAFE VEHICLE:
Your teen has the greatest chance of a
crash of anyone in the family, so have
your teen drive the safest vehicle
available. Small, older cars are not as
safe in crashes. Pickups and SUVs are
prone to roll over. High-performance
or “fun” cars may encourage youth to
drive beyond their experience level.
Recommendation: Have your teen drive a mid- to full-size sedan
or station wagon with a small engine and airbags. Use a family
vehicle. Parents should not let their teens get their “own” vehicles
until they gain a lot more independent driving experience.

n Impose consequences for unsafe driving

CHECK

POINTS
The Checkpoints Program
is here to HELP!

There is a lot involved in managing teen driving, but using the
Checkpoints Program can help! The Checkpoints Parent-Teen Driving
Agreement is included as the middle page in this booklet. You can take
it out, fill it out with your teen, and post it where it will remind everybody of the rules and privileges for teen driving.

The best time to start the Checkpoints Driving Agreement
is shortly before your teen gets a Provisional License.
The CHECKPOINTS DRIVING AGREEMENT will work best if it is part of
an open dialogue between you and your teen about driving.
Checkpoints will help your family to:

n Set clear driving rules and privileges

Rhode Island law sets broad guidelines for teen driving, but families
need to determine their own rules and privileges for their teen drivers.
Together with your teen, set strict driving privileges (recommendations
are provided) for three distinct time periods: (1) the first month with the
Provisional License, which is the highest risk period; (2) the next five
months, when risks are almost as high; and (3) the next six months,
when risks continue to decline but are still elevated. Make sure that both
state and family rules are very clear from the beginning.

n Frequently discuss safe driving and require a full report

When you and your teen drive together, point out risky driving situations
and potential solutions. When your teen drives independently, require
the following information before leaving: where your teen is going, why,
with whom, and when coming home.

n Increase driving privileges when earned

Use the CHECKPOINTS DRIVING AGREEMENT schedule to review your
teen’s progress. As your teen gains more driving experience and shows
safe and responsible driving, gradually increase driving privileges.

Novice teens can make mistakes, take risks, get tickets, and have crashes.
Reduce or take away driving privileges for unsafe or irresponsible driving.
Fair but certain consequences will lead to improved behavior.
Make consequences relate to
losing driving privileges
For a day, weekend, week,
month, or longer, depending on
the violation.
Make consequences known
Set consequences for common
rules violations before they
occur so that your teen knows
what to expect. For example, as a family, decide what the consequences should be for each of the following:

EXAMPLE VIOLATIONS
Teen used alcohol or other
drugs and drove.
Teen got a ticket for speeding.

Teen didn’t wear or make all
passengers wear safety belts.
Teen carried passengers
without permission.
Teen came home 45 minutes
past curfew without permission.

CONSEQUENCES
n Lose driving privileges for____months/years
n Other___________________________

n Lose driving privileges for____weeks/months
n Other___________________________

n Lose driving privileges for____weeks/months
n Other___________________________

n Lose driving privileges for____weeks/months
n Other___________________________

n Lose driving privileges for____weeks/months
n Other___________________________

n Lose driving privileges for____weeks/months
Other:_________________

Other:_________________

n Other___________________________

n Lose driving privileges for____weeks/months
n Other___________________________