Thank you to the Allstate Foundation and National Safety Council for sponsoring this post. Check out Drive it Home, a website by and for parents, dedicated to keeping our teen drivers safe.

Although my b's are quite young, and will not be driving for years, I agreed to attend the Drive it Home show put on by Allstate and the National Safety Council. I wanted to learn safe driving tips, and share what I learned with my community. I have been a driver for, well let's just say, I'm...experienced. The presentation was informational, emotional and eye opening.

As a parent you are encouraged to support, guide,and teach your child the ins and outs of driving before, during and after they acquire their license. I was surprised to learn that many teen drivers spent very little time practicing with an experienced driver. And hardly ANY continue to practice after they receive their license.

One of the most dangerous years in a person’s life is the first twelve months after getting a driver’s license. Annually, there are about two million teens under the age of 18 in their first year of driving on U.S. roads, the National Safety Council (NSC) reports.

Research from The Allstate Foundation shows nearly half of parents express regret about not monitoring their teen driver after they get a license, and more than two-thirds wish they spent more time practicing driving with their teen in high-risk situations. To educate parents on driving risks, the Allstate Foundation is helping NSC launch Drive it Home, a new program offering specially created resources to help parents keep their teens safer on the road, especially after a teen gets a driver’s license.

Designed by parents for parents, the unique program includes an interactive website – driveithome.org – featuring engaging videos, practice tips and other valuable resources.

As part of Drive it Home, the Drive It Home Show is hitting the road, stopping in 14 cities across the country giving parents a fun look at the serious subject of teen driving. The show will feature the comedians of world renowned Second City Communications and safety experts as they help parents understand the real hazards teens face on the road, better coach teen drivers and learn about state teen driving laws.

Parents don't understand the most deadly risks to their teen driver. Research shows that inexperience is the No. 1 cause of teen crashes, but 74 percent of parents inaccurately believe that risk-taking is the leading cause.

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.

Nearly 30 percent of parents are not setting rules around some of the most dangerous behaviors including nighttime driving and passengers in the car. Many parents also don't require their teen to get permission before driving somewhere.

Sixty-four percent of parents are actively looking for resources to help manage their teens' driving experience.
Among the lifesaving recommendations and resources at driveithome.org
~Drive at least 30 minutes each week with a newly licensed teen.
~Practice specific skills together and provide teens with feedback in the following critical areas:
1.Scanning the road ahead to recognize and respond to hazards.
2.Controlling speed, stopping, turning and following distance.
3. Judging the gap between vehicles in traffic – such as when exiting parking lots and making left-hand turns.
4. Managing the highest driving risks, such as nighttime driving and with young passengers in the car.

Also at driveithome.org., parents can sign up to receive weekly driving practice tips and suggestions via e-mail, and print, discuss and sign a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement.

I was particularly interested to learn that the stats are significantly more alarming in my home state , NY. Click Here for those specific details.
To learn more, visit Drive it Home, Allstate and the National Safety Council

I was so proud to note that my own parents excelled in hitting all of the key points to teaching teen drivers as they taught me (and my siblings) to drive. They prepared me, were firm and supportive and full of loving guidance.

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