New Study Reveals Parents Aren’t Always Enforcing Teen Driving Laws

19 Sep 2019

Graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws help to save lives. But, a lot of parents aren’t ensuring their kids are following these laws. Actually, some parents even ignore the laws.

One survey, through Insurance.com, of 1,000 parents and their teenage drivers found almost a third of the parents state they aren’t always enforcing GDL laws. When compared to a survey in 2018 asking the same question, this is a drop of nine percentage points.

According to traffic safety experts, it’s the GDL laws responsible for the drop in teen driver death over the past couple of decades. States:

Don’t give younger drivers full driving freedom
Might limit the hours teen drivers can drive
Might limit who can drive with them
Restrict younger drivers from texting and using cell phones (nearly all states)

The largest problem for parents, is they don’t really know the laws, according to the survey. In fact, 45 percent of the parents said they weren’t aware of these laws that affect teenage drivers in their state.

Fortunately, parents are now dedicating more time to driver education. They’re doing a better job training their teenagers to drive. Forty-four percent of parents said they dedicated over 20 hours in showing their teenagers how to drive.

Your teenage drivers will increase the rates you pay for your auto insurance. However, there are teen driver discounts that can help lower what you pay, including the defensive driving discount. You can save money by doing more than just the minimum amount of drivers’ training and education mandated by the state. In some states, when you take a state-approved driver training class, you could enjoy a discount that could range from 10 to 15 percent.

Many states have GDL systems that places limitations on teen drivers. Parents should understand these laws and enforce them. But, they should really go beyond this and take it a step further. You can refer to the IIHS’s state-by-state license restrictions guide to make the process simpler.

Teenage drivers are thought to be riskier. However, when they receive the proper amount of driver training and parents lead by example, teenage drivers can learn the best way to operate and drive motor vehicles.

GPS teen tracking can help too. You can set up alerts for speeding, hard braking and driving out of set boundaries. Also, follow through with consequences. If your teen breaks the rules, you must have consequences, typically, revoking their driving privileges.

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About George Karonis

George Karonis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LiveViewGPS Inc., a company he established in 2008 with the vision of making real-time GPS tracking more reliable, affordable, and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as an innovator in GPS tracking, fleet management, asset monitoring, and Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) communications. Under George's leadership, LiveViewGPS has grown into a nationally recognized provider of GPS tracking solutions, serving businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, law enforcement organizations, and public works departments throughout the United States. The company's technology helps organizations improve operational efficiency, protect valuable assets, increase driver safety, and reduce operating costs through real-time location intelligence. Before founding LiveViewGPS, George developed a background in security, surveillance, and emerging location technologies. His passion for innovation and practical problem solving has driven the development of products that combine dependable hardware with easy-to-use cloud software, giving customers actionable information when it matters most. In 2018, George expanded into nationwide Push-to-Talk over Cellular communications by launching PeakPTT, providing businesses with rugged, instant communication solutions that operate over LTE and Wi-Fi networks. His focus has remained the same throughout his career: delivering dependable technology backed by exceptional customer service and long-term customer relationships. George regularly writes about GPS tracking, fleet management, asset protection, business technology, and communication systems. Through this blog, he shares industry insights, practical advice, and emerging trends to help organizations make informed decisions about tracking technology and connected operations.