Recently, the CEO and Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Richard Davey, joined forced with the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to announce the release of the new parent’s guide, “The Parent’s Supervised Driving Guide,” to help with the 40 hours of supervised driving required by parents and teen drivers.
The guide helps to optimize this driver-training time to help to reduce the risks of teen car accidents in Massachusetts.
“As young people across Massachusetts learn to drive our roadways…’The Parent’s Supervised Driving Guide’ will ease some of the stress and concern often experienced by the parents,” said Davey.
Our Boston teen car accident lawyers understand how at-risk our newly licensed drivers are for potentially fatal accidents on our roadways. For this reason, the state of Massachusetts enacted strict driving requirements to be completed by parents and teen drivers before receiving an unrestricted driver’s license. Parents are urged to remain active in their teen’s driving career long after they’ve received an unrestricted license. Parent involvement may be one of the most efficient ways to help reduce the risks of traffic accidents for these young drivers.
According to Governors Highway Safety Bureau and Mass Safe, teenage drivers are required to complete two driving stages, each consisting of a number of rules and regulations, before being eligible to receive an unrestricted driver’s license. These restrictions include passenger limits, driving curfews, supervised driving requirements, etc.
Teenage drivers in the state who have a learner’s permit are also being provided with their own copy of the “The Parent’s Supervised Driving Guide.” The guide is to be use by both parents and teen drivers. It is free to young drivers in the state through a partnership with Safe Safety Insurance and Roads Alliance and can be picked up at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) branches in the Commonwealth.
According to Rachel Kaprielian with the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, this guide will help parents to expose their teenage drivers to a variety of driving conditions with confidence.
The guide highlights eleven different skill sets, including:
-Highway driving.
-City driving.
-Reversing.
-Parking.
Parents and teens are asked to sign off on each section upon completion. The education doesn’t stop there. At the end of the booklet, parents are offered tips for ways to effectively handle their teen’s driving after the 40 hours of supervised driving is completed.
The President of Safe Roads Alliance, Jeff Larson, says that parents are in the ideal position to help ensure that the teen drivers in their lives become smart, safe drivers. This new program offers parents with tips and information that will help them to make smart and safe decisions behind the wheel once they receive their unrestricted driver’s license.
In the U.S., more than 40 percent of newly-licensed drivers get into car accidents. This program is helping to reduce these frightening numbers.
If you or your teenage driver has been involved in a car accident in Massachusetts, contact Boston Injury Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman. Our firm offers free and confidential appointments to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333.
More Blog Entries:
Strict GDL Programs Reducing Risks of Teen Car Accidents in Boston and Elsewhere, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, January 7, 2012
Car Accidents in Boston and Elsewhere is Top Cause of Death for 4- to 34-Year-Olds, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, December 19, 2011