This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Latina Mom Bloggers and State Farm. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
Did you know that crashes are the number 1 killer of teens and that their first year of driving is the most dangerous?
Sad but true facts. A recent survey conducted by State Farm finds that parents aren’t always doing their part to support young drivers. As can be seen in the infographic below, what parents claim to be doing with their teens differs greatly from what teens report, especially when it comes to graduated driver licensing laws (GDL). For example, only 43% of teens say they almost always follow the passenger restriction laws, while 70% of parents believe their teens are obeying the law. And, parents were significantly higher than their teens to state safety as the most important reason to follow GDL laws (89% versus 51%).
VIEW THE INFOGRAPHIC: GDL_Hispanic_English Infographic
While I still have a few years left until my tween reaches driving age, I’ve already started talking driving safety with her. It must be sinking in because this was the conversation on the car trip home yesterday:
Maddy: MOM, STOP TEXTING AND DRIVING!
Me: I’m not texting and driving! I’m sending an email.
Maddy: That’s just as bad as texting.
Me: You’re right, but I’m not driving.
Maddy: You’re in the driver’s seat.
Me: Again, you’re right, but I’m stopped at a red light.
Maddy: Oh, yeah!
Although she was exerting an over abundance of caution, I was proud of her for reminding me to follow safety rules. I hope that she will do the same when she gets behind the wheel. Teaching driving safety starts at an early age and State Farm knows this.
READ RELATED: INVESTING IN TWEEN TIME
In 2012, they launched Celebrate My Drive to share the belief that safe driving is a lifelong commitment from the start. The initiative encouraged students to make safe driving choices each and every time they get behind the wheel. This is definitely something that we can all support.
Have you started talking to your tween about safe driving? Do you have a teen who’s getting behind the wheel? Share your experiences with us and visit the State Farm Celebrate My Drive Facebook page to show your support https://www.facebook.com/CelebrateMyDrive
