A Message to Parents

Your teen has finally arrived at a time he or she has been looking forward to – learning to drive! This is an important milestone for your teen, and it opens up a new world of choices, responsibilities and freedom. This guide has been developed to help you and your teen accomplish this very important life-long skill.Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury for teenagers because they lack driving experience. Washington State has implemented Intermediate Driver Licensing laws to decrease this risk by introducing teenagers to driving in phases to help them gradually – and safely – build their skills and experience behind the wheel. Your teen becomes better able to handle high-risk conditions as he or she gains driving experience and maturity.

As role model and coach, your teen driver will be watching what you do and look to you for your guidance and expertise. Some important aspects of your job include:

• Knowing and enforcing the driving laws
• Knowing the Intermediate driver license requirements and holding them accountable to the rules
• Certifying that your teen has completed at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night
• Setting family driving rules and limits
• Talking to other parents to make sure they are enforcing the same rules with their teens

This guide was designed as a teaching tool and it contains valuable advice, checklists, a driving log, a sample driving contract, and a driving certification form to help you teach your teen to be a safe and confident driver. Please take the time to read and use this valuable resource.

Safe Driving,
Teresa Berntsen
Director