Listen to Your Parents: Teen Driving Safety

Johanna James
Allstate Exclusive Agent

“You should always listen to your parents.” It’s a line American teens hear on a regular basis. And it’s one that lawmakers should take to heart as they consider the dangers facing young drivers today.

An alarming number of teens—roughly 4,000—die each year in teen-related auto accidents. That’s an average of 11 each day. These are teens whose lives could have been saved and whose families could have been spared heartbreak if stronger teen driving laws were in place.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just released results from a national survey of parents of teen drivers that found a strong majority of those surveyed said that GDL laws are lifesavers. In fact, according to the study, more than half of parents believe the minimum unsupervised driving age should be 17; 82 percent say that the number of unrelated passengers should be limited to one or less; and a majority favors GDL laws as strict or stricter than exist in any state.


These moms and dads are telling us something more people need to realize—that GDL laws are effective. They curb dangerous behavior and they save lives. Some states already know this, and have done a good job of improving teen driver safety through programs that emphasize gradual licensure phase-ins and distraction free driving conditions. Other states, however, need more encouragement.

This is why Allstate supports a federal proposal called the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act (H.R. 1895 and S. 3269) as a way to give states the guidance and resources to improve safe driving standards for teenagers—something that will benefit all drivers. The more we can do to encourage states to strengthen their laws, the more lives we can save.

When young drivers take to the road without the right preparation, they are more than a danger to themselves—they also put other drivers at risk. We applaud IIHS for helping to combat this by raising awareness among parents about the value of giving teens the right education and experience to become more alert, seasoned drivers. The time is long overdue to address this crisis. It’s time to listen to our parents.

For more tips and materials on teen safe driving, you can visit Johanna James Allstate Insurance Agency at 3821 Skippack Pike in Skippack, Pa or call 610-584-6888.