Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Teens facing severe driving penalties
Too many teenage traffic accidents and deaths have moved the State of Tennessee to change the state’s graduated license program. Associated with this will be changes in insurance rates for those teenagers who have traffic accidents.
What can you as a parent do? First, require your child to turn off the cell phone and prohibit its use when the car is in motion.
Second, require that your child not have passengers unless they have your specific approval.
Third, let your child drive the family car or purchase them a family sedan. Save the sports car purchase for when they graduate from college.
Fourth, get involved and teach your child that tailgating and speeding reduce reaction time and cause accidents.
Fifth, make sure your child has the best driver training you can afford.
From the Knoxville News Sentinel:
What can you as a parent do? First, require your child to turn off the cell phone and prohibit its use when the car is in motion.
Second, require that your child not have passengers unless they have your specific approval.
Third, let your child drive the family car or purchase them a family sedan. Save the sports car purchase for when they graduate from college.
Fourth, get involved and teach your child that tailgating and speeding reduce reaction time and cause accidents.
Fifth, make sure your child has the best driver training you can afford.
From the Knoxville News Sentinel:
By BETH RUCKER, Associated Press
March 1, 2006
NASHVILLE — Teenagers convicted of even a small number of traffic violations could face losing their driving privileges under changes to the state’s graduated license program that took effect Wednesday.
Drivers younger than 18 who accumulate three points on their driving records within a year will be required to attend a hearing with a parent or legal guardian to discuss the traffic violations. They also must take an eight-hour defensive driving course.
If the violation is severe, the license could be suspended.
Previously, a teen did not face punishment until he or she had accumulated 12 points.
"Teenage drivers must realize that driving a car is serious business," said Lt. Phil Hardin, director of the Department of Safety’s Driver Improvement Program.
The changes to the graduated program, known as Hayden’s Rule, were initiated by a Knoxville family who were victims of a February 2003 vehicle crash involving a teen driver.
Hayden Maple was born premature by emergency C-section after the teen driver crossed a double yellow line to pass another vehicle and hit Hayden’s mom, Robin Maple. Hayden, who doctors said before the crash would be a healthy baby, now suffers from daily seizures and must take more than 10 medications per day.
