INDIANAPOLIS — A new study shows Indiana ranks number one when it comes to teen driver deaths among licensed teen drivers.
Don Gross, President of AA Indiana Driving School, says, ” I would like to ask that parents and the rest of the adult drivers do everything they can to support our teens. Our teens have the potential to be excellent drivers but it’s like any other skill, we have to reinforce the skill, so we all need to set good examples for our teens.”
Patrick Fallon is one of the driving students, and said, “I’m going to sometimes go a little bit slower to make sure I don’t get hit, but don’t get mad at me for that!”
He’s a junior at Carmel High School and like most teens, has been counting down the days.
“I’m looking forward to driving alone and not have to arrange a ride if I want to go to a friend’s house or go to a store.”
Gross wasn’t surprised at the findings, saying “Unfortunately Indiana is one of the lowest licensing ages for teens who do not take professional training.”
Gross says teens who get a learner’s permit can get a license at 16, but that’s 17 or 18 in many other states.
He says there are many reasons Indiana holds this title, but the bottom line is right now we need to do a better job at promoting safety.
“So when they see our drivers education cars, realize that we have inexperienced drivers,” said Gross. “Continue driving safely around us or behind us and be aware that we do make mistakes, we do our best but we’re dealing with human beings and we do make mistakes.”
As a parent, you can reduce the risk by putting your teen in a safe care with working air bags and other safety features.
And remember, just because a teen is 16, it doesn’t mean they’re ready to be behind the wheel.
