Ottawa, ON – With motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death among teens in Canada, the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) encourages teens and parents to discuss and practice safe driving habits during National Teen Driver Safety Week, happening from Oct. 19 to 25.
“In this new era of driving, teens are faced with so many more challenges on the road, from texting to other electronic usage,” says Jeff Walker, vice-president of public affairs, CAA National. “Parents need to set a good example, early, by showing their teens how to be 100% committed to the rules of the road and fully engaged while driving.”
CAA wants to help teens start their driving careers off on the right foot. As a comprehensive guide for new drivers and their parents, DriveRight (www.CAA.ca/DriveRight) features useful reminders, tips, questions and do’s and don’ts that parents and new drivers can refer to throughout the learning-to-drive process.
Some good tips to keep in mind are:
- Turn your phone off or put it well out of your reach so you won’t be tempted to break the law by using it while on the road.
- Discussion is critical to developing a healthy family driving relationship – download CAA’s parent-teen agreement to help both sides talk about their mutual rights and responsibilities.
- Holding a driver’s license is a privilege not a right—be a responsible driver at all times.
- Parents need to heed similar advice—don’t teach your young driver your own bad habits.
Teens and parents don’t have to limit their discussions to this one week, but are encouraged to review their driving habits on a regular basis together.
National Teen Driver Safety Week is conducted annually during the third week of October and raises awareness on teen driver safety through community and youth engagement.