Adult interest in young driver training produces safer driver; tools available
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The Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reminds parents and sponsors that they play a critical role in keeping their children safe and helping them to become better drivers. Studies show that parental supervision reduces teen crash rates, reduces instances of driving under the influence, reduces distracted driving and increases seatbelt usage.
“Parents joke about the white-knuckle moments of driving with their teens, but their active participation saves lives,” said Debra Kraemer, supervisor, Bureau of Driver Services. “Inexperience is a major cause of death and injury for teen drivers. The mission of DMV is to ensure every driver is a safe driver. We have many tools available to support parents and sponsors.”
Wisconsin requires that teen drivers with an instruction permit record driving for at least 30 hours with a qualified adult, with at least 10 of those hours at night, before they apply for their driver license. DMV offers a Parent’s Supervised Driving Program guidebook, an award-winning free resource. It explains 13 important driving skills. A Supervised Driving Log helps parents tally hours behind the wheel, and the guidebook includes a parent-teen driving contract. Teens receive their own copy when they receive their learner’s permit. It is available free through sponsorship funds committed by West Bend Mutual Insurance Company. It’s also available online www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/docs/parents-sup-driving.pdf.
In addition, the RoadReady™ mobile app offers parents and guardians a way to log the state-required supervised driving time with the click of a button. Another mobile app available is the Wisconsin DMV Driver Practice Test that reviews driving laws to help drivers check themselves before taking the knowledge portion of the driving test.
Parents also have the convenience of other online resources available 24/7, such as:
• Driver License Guide, which offers a checklist of what to bring to the DMV.
• Resources like finding the nearest DMV or scheduling a road driving test.
• Video tips on safety and even managing roundabouts on the WisDOT YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/user/wisdot.
More media resources on the program are available at the program website: www.theparentssuperviseddrivingprogram.com/media.
