Survey: Parents Cite Driving Safety As Top Concern (NAPSA)—Vehicle crashes are the numberone killer of teens. In 2002, nearly 6,000 teens were killed, 300,000 were injured and more than bo me. 1.6 million were involved in vehicle crashes. According to research conducted by Chrysler Group earlier this year, driving safety is a top concern for six out of 10 parents when it comes to their teens. To help keep teens safe in motor vehicles, DaimlerChrysler created a new teen driving safety program called Road Ready Teens”. Designed to communicate with both teens and parents, Road Ready Teens is a home-based program founded on research and principles advocated by the nation’s top safety organizations. The initiative helps parents ease their teens into driving, while gradually exposing and educating them regardingthe risks they face on the road. “Research shows that when teens are required to abide by Graduated Driver Licensing guidelines, such as those incorporated in Road Ready Teens, their chances of being in a crash can be reduced by up to one-third,” said Alan McMillan, president and CEO, National Safety Council. “Parents are the critical component in setting and enforcing guidelines with their kids.” For parents, a brochure called Get Road Ready: A Parent's Guide to Safely Ease Teens into Driving outlines easy-to-understand tips and tools to help teens gain the necessary driving experience and maturity behind the wheel before tackling high-risk driving situations. The guide also includes the ae It is hoped that teenage driving statistics will take a turn for the better with the arrival of a new driving safety initiative. Parent-Teen Road Rules Contract to help parents set house rules regarding seat belt use, teen passengers, nighttime driving, distracted driving and impaired driving—all factors that can put young drivers at risk behind the wheel. For teens, the program offers StreetWise, a new driving safety video game designed to increase teens’ awareness and understanding of driving risks. Teens who play the game are morelikely to take steps to protect themselves from driving risks according to initial game research conducted by the University of Michigan. The game has six missions; each is progressively more difficult and helps to demonstrate the key risk factors teens face as outlined in the Parent’s Guide. All Road Ready Teens materials—including the StreetWise video game, the Parent’s Guide and other resources—areall available at no cost at www.roadreadyteens.org.
