New interactive website helps parents keep teen drivers safe

Listen to podcast ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Summer is the most dangerous time of year for teen drivers, with nearly twice as many teens dying on America's roads each day compared to the rest of the year. But a new online program helps parents keep their teens safe as they gain experience driving without adult supervision. The Checkpoints Program, presented by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Michigan Department of Community Health, is a free, interactive web resource ( http://saferdrivingforteens.org ) that establishes rules in a personal written agreement that ensures parents that their teens are clear about where and when they can drive. "Motor vehicle crashes kill more teens than any other cause," says C. Raymond Bingham, a research professor who heads up UMTRI's Young Driver Behavior and Injury Prevention Group. "The main reason driving is more dangerous for teens, is that they are young and not experienced at driving unsupervised. Becoming a safe driver takes years of experience. "Many parents struggle with wanting to let their teens start driving unsupervised and knowing how to keep their teens as safe as possible when they are not in the vehicle with them.