Teen Drivers

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP that says depends. My 16 year old has definitely been in a car "full" of teenagers - if you count my kids' reasonable friends that I know and their group going to a theater rehearsal. (during the day, when drinking is less likely). My kid also knows to call me if he is worried someone has been drinking or is not safe.

Since we have had these rules, he has self selected NOT to drive with one girl that he says is a bad driver and asked me to drive him when he didn't feel like the driving situation was ok (too many kids, not a good driver). I always say yes when he asks me to drive instead of going with a friend.

Also, in MD you have a provisional license first that doesn't allow kids to drive friends right away. Some kids my DS knows were driving kids anyway --- that was a hard NO in my family - only legal drivers.

But, I do permit my kid to drive with friends regularly when he follows these rules and will also let him drive others when he is out of the provisional stage under circumstances I permit.

[Anonymous]

From the CDC: "The leading causes of death for the teenage population remained constant throughout the period 1999-2006: Accidents (unintentional injuries) (48 percent of deaths), homicide (13 percent), suicide (11 percent), cancer (6 percent), and heart disease (3 percent). Motor vehicle accident accounted for almost three quarters (73 percent) of all deaths from unintentional injury (Figure 2)."

If there is anything you are going to helicopter about, driving is a good one.

[Anonymous]

In Virginia, a teen may only legally drive one non related minor for a year after they get their license. So far none of her friends have had their licenses for a year. She has driven one friend at a time with the permission of the other parent. She is not allowed to drive more than one friend until it is legal for her to do so. When she is eligible, I won't automatically say no, but I won't agree to her driving kids who can't drive yet.