Parents: You are the best driving teacher for your teen

 

To combat high youth crash rates, Taupo Nui a Tia College are hosting an information evening this Thursday to teach parents how to “Be the Best Driving Teacher you can for your teenager”.

 

 

The evening is designed to encourage parents to take a proactive approach to road safety, by driving with their teens during the crucial learner’s licence stage. The course includes the new “Practice” programme, a free resource for parents, recently updated by New Zealand Transport Agency.

 

Taupo Nui A Tia teacher Jeremy Ball has always wanted to hold such an evening “Parents can make the best teachers, and we want to encourage them to go driving with their teens as much as possible to give them the best start on the roads.”

 

Parents will be given practical skills on teaching their teens safe driving practices, including encouraging more supervised driving time; a minimum of 120 hours during the learner’s licence period, and to give learner drivers experience in a range of road, weather and traffic conditions.

 

15-19 year old drivers are 6-7 times more likely to crash than 45-49 year-old drivers, with the period of highest crash risk during the first 6-12 months of driving solo. Taupo District Council Road Safety Co-ordinator Christine Hutchison says “Teens have a much higher crash rate than other drivers, mainly due to inexperience. Often they are taught to drive on very safe, quiet roads, and don’t get to experience real driving conditions. This course is designed to try and help change that.”

 

The information evening will be held at Taupo Nui a Tia college on Thursday 13th August. To attend the forum phone Jeremy Ball on 376-1100 ext 7817.

 

 

END

 

 

Some key stats:

• 15-19 year-old drivers are 6-7 times more likely to crash than 45-49 year-old drivers

• The period of highest crash risk is during the first 6-12 months of driving solo

• Inexperience is one of the main underlying reasons why young drivers have a high crash risk