Tennessee is committed to teen driver safety. This is important because according to the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security, teen drivers are far more likely to be involved in motor vehicle accidents than drivers in any other age group. This is true even though there tend to be fewer teens driving than other age groups.
For a number of years, Tennessee has mandated a tiered system to allow young drivers (under 18 years old) to gradually assume more responsibility as drivers.
The system starts with a learner permit for people who are at least 15 years old. The next phase is an intermediate driver license for 16 year-olds who have had a valid learner permit for at least 180 days and have certified that they have driven at least 50 hours (including at least 10 hours of night driving). In addition, to obtain the intermediate license, drivers must pass a road skills test.
More information on the learner permit and intermediate license process can be found here.
Last September, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, partnered with Nissan North America to sponsor ThinkFast Interactive programs for schools located in the State’s high-crash areas.
According to ThinkFast Interactive, its program “caters to students of all ages and interests by combining state of the art technology, entertainment, and age-relevant awareness information. Built around team effort, ThinkFast Interactive is the event solution to yield stronger, longer- lasting effects on driving safety issues, alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse than any other individual program alone.”
While this is an important step in improving teen driver safety, it is still important for parents to actively coach their teens as they begin to drive. The coaching should involve discussion about unsafe practices such as distracted driving and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol as well as practicing safe driving techniques.
Some parents have taken the step of entering into safe driving agreements with their teenage drivers. Here are some examples of safe driver agreements that you can download:
- https://www.cdc.gov/Motorvehiclesafety/pdf/Driving_Contract-a.pdf
- http://accidentattorneys.org/teen-parent-driving-agreement/
- https://www.allstatefoundation.org/pdf/Parent-Teen-Agreement-TN.pdf
At Hunter, Smith & Davis, LLP, we are committed to teen driver safety in Tennessee. In fact, we are committed to the safety of all our clients. And, if you are hurt in a motor vehicle collision, we are committed to helping you and your family recover the both physically and financially.
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