Comments about ‘Parents set poor driving example for teens, with sometimes-dire results’

This is too hard to believe, the parents are not allowed to teach their children how to drive or driver courtsey, the law won't let them do it. Most teens in Utah do not traverse the roads with their parents in tow, they prefer their peers and schools for drivers education. The only function parents serves is financiers for the troubles and laws teens violate, its a state law too.

This article is wrongfully passing the buck and trying to blame parents for how teens drive. It is true that most teens parents have some bad driving habits accumulated by the same reason and standards of driver eduction offered by the state of Utah. But what we have is what our legislators and education system has created in both parents and their teen children in decades of irresponsible drivers education, laws, and procedures.

This bad deriving and inattentive trend was visible and apparent to most older drivers for the last 30 years but parents could not block children from getting a license if they were not satisfied with a childs driving skills. The schools and laws chose to bypass parental permission to license Utah teen drivers.

I realize they are in the driveway, but mom's seatbelt is buckled and daughter's is not. :-)

"The schools and laws chose to bypass parental permission to license Utah teen drivers."

Are you really saying that a teenager under 18 can get a license if their parents don't want them to? Are you really saying that parents do not have a say? If so, I wholeheartedly disagree. And, as many do, you shift the blame from personal reponsibility to someone else.

"but parents could not block children from getting a license if they were not satisfied with a childs driving skills. The schools and laws chose to bypass parental permission to license Utah teen drivers."

This is completely false. Utah Law requires a parent/guardian signature before anyone under the age of 18 can obtain a learner's permit or a driver license. In Utah, parents of minor children have complete control over whether their child can obtain a driver license.

'parents could not block children from getting a license if they were not satisfied with a childs driving skills. The schools and laws chose to bypass parental permission to license Utah teen drivers."

This a completely false. In Utah, a minor can obtain a driver license without a parent/guardian signature.

Coachbulldog: "In Utah, a minor can obtain a driver license without a parent/guardian signature."

That may be, but *some* adult has to assume financial responsibility, and what adult other than the parent/guardians would be willing to do so, especially since that means a significant hike in insurance premiums? Whoever assumes financial responsibility will naturally take a great interest in the minor's readiness to drive.

Based on my own experience, I would expect that the one behavior teens don't see is their parents texting or talking. I'm glad when I have one of my teens with me, because I can hand the phone to her and have her read and write any necessary messages while I drive.

> The teen pledge says, "I also agree to avoid potentially destructive decisions that can jeopardize my health and safety and those of my passengers; and that I will do my best to earn and keep your trust while I'm on the road."

Let's not forget the safety of pedestrians and occupants of other vehicles...

The fact is I consider myself a good driver. I also think my children have good driver skills. I have however, been less than excited about their decisions even when they mimic my own. The difference? Experience.

What I have tried to teach them is that there are consequences for decisions and actions and that sometimes the consequence is both unplanned and undesirable. I have taught that consequences will not be protected against in any substantive way, even if I could, but rather that they would have to accept the aftermath of what they decide to do.

The result is better driving decisions from both myself and my children. We drive with constant assessments of risk and with adjustments made to changing conditions. If we choose to speed it is because we feel the conditions warrant it in some way. Part of this is probably my libertarian leanings but that is really the only way to get thinking drivers. And thinking drivers are much, much safer drivers.

Frankly I think if we had not created such safe machines and roads, then we would have more thoughtful drivers and fewer poorly prepared and inattentive drivers; perhaps one of those unintended consequences.