Howard County teens now are being strongly encouraged to sign a contract with their parents before driving to school so they’ll be safer behind the wheel.
The new Parent-Teen Driving Agreement, drafted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is being introduced through the collaborative efforts of Howard County’s police department, school system, health department and government.
“The leading cause of teen deaths are motor vehicle accidents and it’s not always drinking and driving,” said Lisa de Hernandez, spokeswoman for the health department.
“It’s because of distracted driving. They’re inexperienced and doing things like texting while driving.”
Aspects of the agreement include teens obeying all rules on the road and laws about drugs and alcohol as well as staying focused while driving.
All students must attend a 90-minute seminar, conducted by police and school officials, before receiving a permit to drive to school in Howard.
Motivating students to sign this agreement will be part of that seminar as an indication of the students’ commitment to safe driving, said Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds, according to the National Transportation and Highway Safety Administration.
In the latest available statistics from 2006, 12.9 percent of 3,490 drivers involved in fatal crashes were between 15 and 20 years old. But these drivers represented only 6.3 percent of all licensed drivers, the administration reported.
“It’s the young teens, the 16- and 17-year-olds, who are most vulnerable,” Beilenson said.
“They are sometimes not so analytical in terms of thinking about the consequences.”
Another component of the agreement asks teens to demonstrate to their parents that they are capable of driving at night and in bad weather.
In the agreement, they must recognize that their parents can punish them and ban driving privileges for a set amount of time for breaking any of the rules, like curfew or having too many passengers.
“Having multiple kids in the car is probably the most widely accident-related issue for teens,” Beilenson said.
