WYDOT offers new teen driver safety program

WYDOT, the Safe Roads Alliance and State Farm® are partnering to provide Wyoming parents with a simple, easy-to-follow plan to teach teenagers safe driving habits.

The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program focuses on the role of the parent in the driver education process, offering a guide for a methodical, sequential approach to teaching teens the driving skills they need for a lifetime of safe driving.

The printed manuals are available at WYDOT’s driver license exam stations around the state, and will be provided to parents or guardians when teens apply for their first instruction permit. The manual also is available online on the WYDOT Driver Services Web page and the Safe Roads Alliance site.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for the nation’s teens, and Wyoming drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are more than twice as likely to crash as drivers in other age groups. The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program is designed to help new drivers become more safe, experienced and confident.

“Safe roads begin with safe drivers,” WYDOT Support Services Administrator Tom Loftin said. “By providing parents with the resources to teach their teen drivers, we feel we are one step closer to a new generation of safe drivers. This manual breaks down each part of the driving experience and allows for plenty of practice as your teen is learning the rules of the road.”

The Safe Roads Alliance developed the curriculum by working with parents, teens, driver license examiners, highway safety researchers, academics, behavioral scientists, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The sponsorship by State Farm makes it possible to provide the manuals at no cost to the families or taxpayers.

“Getting a driver license is such a special moment in a teen’s life, but it often causes increased anxiety for parents,” State Farm Marketing Director Ed Gold said. “Research tells us the single most important thing parents can do to help their teens stay safe on the road is to allow as much supervised practice behind the wheel as possible.”

Wyoming is the 19th state to offer the program. In addition to the manual, it offers a free RoadReady® mobile app for parents and teens to automatically track and log their supervised driving. It records driving times to assure reliable logs, and also tracks night driving, the type of roads traveled and weather conditions.