Friday, March 1, 2013

Teen Driving -- Letter to Parents


Teen Driving — High School Letter for Parents

 It’s been a tragic week for teenagers on Minnesota roads — two 16 year olds were killed in crashes and other teens were seriously injured. These cases remind us that traffic crashes are the leading killer of our youth.

At Southwest, we are making efforts to remind students about the dangers of being behind the wheel, riding with others, and making life-saving decisions — like always buckling up, paying attention and driving at safe speeds.

These recent events also serve as a reminder for parents and caregivers to reinforce safe driving choices and to be aware of the resources available to help develop safe teen drivers. This message is especially important as prom season approaches.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety offers this information that we encourage you to review to help keep your teen safe on the road:

·        Provide significant supervised driving training, and continue to do so even after licensure.

·         Train your teen on a variety of road types (urban, rural) and in different conditions (nighttime, rain, snow). Use a driving skills checklist  https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/educational-materials/Documents/Teen-Contract-Log-Sheet.pdf
 
·        Talk with your teen to reinforce laws and set limits (such as passenger limitations, nighttime driving) — and use a driving contract between parent and teen to set rules.



·        The Teen License Parent Withdrawal Form is available for parents to cancel the driving privileges of their teen's driver's license (under age 18) — https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/teen-driving/Documents/Teen%20License%20Parent%20Withdrawal%20Form.pdf
 
·        Specific to making prom plans, it is illegal for a person under age 21 to possess or consume any amount of alcohol. It’s also against the law for a person to sell or provide alcohol to a person under age 21.
 
·        In Minneapolis the Social Host Ordinance makes it illegal to allow anyone under age 21 to consume alcohol on your property, or the property you rent, regardless of who provided the alcohol.

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