Today my daughter starts driver’s education. After already going through this, you would think it’s not that big of a deal. But this time is a little different.
With my older son, he didn’t really want to learn how to drive. He was the type of kid who needed to be pushed into responsibility (although, the Air Force seems to have cured him of that). I had to make him get a job, something else he didn’t want to do.
Once he did have his license, getting him to drive was like pulling teeth. If he could get out of it, he would.
Now it’s not that I believe every teenager has to get a driver’s license or has to get a job. I knew my son enough that he would be content to spend everyday of his life upstairs in his room, having no responsibilities. So for him it was more of a necessary lesson.
My daughter is the complete opposite. She wants to work now and she is determined to have her own car the day she turns 16, so her goal is to save now. And unlike my son, she can’t wait to drive.
Her enthusiasm is nice but at the same time, I know that I will have more opportunities to worry with her likely spending much more time behind the wheel of a car. So it was interesting for me to read recently about a law in New Jersey for teen drivers.
It’s called “Kyleigh’s Law” and it requires that new teen drivers display a red decal on their license plate. It’s like the scarlet letter drawing attention to them.
The goal is to easily identify teen drivers so police officers can make sure they are obeying the rules, such as not driving after certain hours or having too many passengers in the car.
A new study indicates that this law has likely prevented more than 1,600 accidents. And that’s pretty important since motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the U.S.
Having the decal and knowing there is a spotlight on you probably forces a lot of teens to practice safer driving. I wish Wisconsin would adopt laws like this.
For now…I can at least rest knowing she will only be earning her temporary driver’s license and she won’t be on her own.
Related Articles:
The Reality of Having a Licensed Driver
A Teen’s First Driving Experience
Photo by teamstickergiant in Flickr