Are Teenagers Too Stupid to Drive?

Apparently it is not a matter of intelligence when a teen is behind the wheel but the actual development of their brain at such a young age.  In this article The Teenage Brain they show visual proof of how a human brain doesn't fully evolve until its early 20's. 

What does that say about how our teens drive?


Teenagers lack the fast response decision making process that reside in adults.  These are things that cannot be practiced during drivers ed (or else parents will be upset that the teachers putting their kids in danger to prove a point).  The only way to become a better driver is from experience on the open road.  You can't hover over anyone and teach them what you have gone through.  They will never learn.

Parents are terrified when they let their kids drive alone for that exact reason.  They never know where their kids are what they are doing and how they are driving.

Teens are more distracted than ever! They text constantly and they rarely pay attention to the road because there are "way cooler" things going on, especially when their friends are in the car.

How can a parent feel comfortable with their teen on the road?

1.) Never let them out of your site. Keep your child locked up in the house.  Drive them to all their social events and monitor their every move.  This will definitely keep them safe, but they might not ever like you again.  That may be a huge risk.

2.) Give them cab/bus fare. If they want to go anywhere there is always public transportation.  Trust me.  I lived in NH and I had to take the public bus to and from school for 2 years before I got my license.  I don't even wish that upon my enemies.

3.) Have their friends drive them everywhere. This idea doesn't sound half bad, except there is still a teenager driving and who knows how distracting your child may be.

So how do I keep my teen safe?

4.) GPS tracking.  It's 2010 and we live in the world of technology.  Your child wants to text, well now you can track.  There are several tracking systems on the market today but only a few can monitor everything a parent wants to see.  DashTrac offers a tracking system which is web-based.  As a parent, you can monitor their speed, location, jack rabbit starts and stops.  Imagine it's like you're in the car without actually being in the car. Also, you can take care of the car they drive with maintenance alerts letting you know when their car needs a tune up.