New AAA Website Offers One-of-a-Kind Resources to Empower Parents, Teen Drivers

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- AAA Michigan empowers parents to get involved with their teens' learning-to-drive process with the launch of its new teen driver safety website, TeenDriving.AAA.com. The interactive site helps parents and teens manage the complex coming-of-age process by providing users with specific information based on where they live and where they are in the learning process – from preparing to drive (pre-permit) through the learner's permit and solo driving.

"Parental involvement is critical in developing safe and prepared teen drivers," said Jack Peet, AAA Michigan Traffic Safety Manager.  "AAA recognizes the learning-to-drive process can be intimidating, particularly for today's busy families. TeenDriving.AAA.com is a unique and comprehensive teen driver safety website that simplifies the process by offering parents the tools and resources they need as they progress through each stage of the process. This makes what can be a daunting task for parents and teens much easier to manage."

The site features AAA StartSmart, a series of online newsletters and webisodes based on the National Institutes of Health's Checkpoints program, which has been scientifically shown to help parents improve teen driver safety and is being offered nationally for the first time. Some of the topics covered in AAA StartSmart's 18 newsletters and webisodes include:

• Nighttime driving;
• Distracted driving;
• Alcohol and other drugs; and
• Parent-teen driving agreements.

The site also offers an online version of AAA's Dare to Prepare workshop and lessons from the motor club's Teaching Your Teens to Drive coaching program, both of which assist families that are or soon will be learning to drive.

Parents will find information about Michigan's graduated driver licensing (GDL) system, selecting a driving school and choosing the right vehicle for their teens. Parents will also learn more about some of the common risks associated with teen drivers.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, killing nearly 6,000 teens annually.  Last year, 110 young people between the ages of 16 and 20 years in Michigan lost their lives in motor vehicles crashes. Through safety programs, driver training and legislative efforts, AAA is an active leader in helping to reduce the number of teens injured and killed in vehicle crashes.

"For years, AAA has been a leader in the area of teen driver safety through our legislative advocacy work to establish and improve graduated driver licensing systems across the country," Peet said. "Our educational, programmatic and public outreach efforts have also engaged and supported parents and teens through each step of the learning-to-drive process. TeenDriving.AAA.com represents another large step – putting these resources online where parents nationwide can access them."

SOURCE AAA Michigan