For Parents

You hold the keys to your teen’s driving.

Get involved. Stay involved. Help keep them safe.

Learning to drive is a big step for teens and for parents. The choices your teen makes behind the wheel can affect their life and the lives of others. Your guidance, your rules, and your example play a big role in keeping your teen safe.

In Maryland, crashes involving young drivers are a serious problem. Many of these crashes occur because teens are distracted, drive too fast for conditions, follow too closely, or fail to yield the right of way. Every day, people are hurt in crashes involving young drivers, and every few days, someone dies. Even though 16- and 17-year-olds make up a small number of drivers, they are involved in a much higher number of deadly crashes.

You Are the #1 Role Model

Your teen learns how to drive by watching you. The way you drive today helps shape how they will drive tomorrow. Show your teen what safe and responsible driving looks like.

Set a good example by:

Always wearing your seat belt and making sure others do too
Never drinking and driving
Putting your phone away and avoiding distractions
Following speed limits and traffic laws
Showing patience and respect to other drivers

You Hold the Keys

When parents set clear rules, teens are less likely to take risks. Talk with your teen about your driving rules and make sure they understand what you expect.

Good rules often include limits on:

Time of day and curfew
Where your teen can drive
Who can ride in the car
Road types and weather conditions

As your teen gains experience and shows responsible behavior, you can slowly allow more freedom. Remember, you have the power to take away the keys and limit driving privileges if safety rules are not followed.

Get Involved and Stay Involved

Your teen is at the highest risk during the first few months of driving alone. This is when your involvement matters the most. Spend time practicing together, ride along sometimes, and keep talking about safe driving. Remind your teen that driving is a serious responsibility, not just a privilege.

The more time you invest in your teen’s driving, the safer and more confident they will become.

Know the Risks

Teens are more likely to take risks because they are still learning and still growing. Some of the biggest dangers include:

Inexperience and distraction: Many serious teen crashes occur due to simple mistakes or inattention.
Seat belts: Many teens who die in crashes are not wearing them.
Passengers: Even one teen passenger greatly increases the risk of a crash.
Speeding: Speed is a major cause of teen crashes and injuries.
Night driving: Crashes are more likely and more serious at night.
Phones and texting: Looking at a phone instead of the road increases the risk of crashes.

What You Can Do as a Parent

You can take simple steps that make a big difference:

Make seat belt use a rule for every trip
Limit teen passengers, especially in the early months
Set clear rules about speed and safe driving
Limit or restrict nighttime driving
Require your teen to pull over safely before using a phone
Make it clear that drinking or using drugs and driving is never allowed

Why Teens Need Extra Guidance

The part of the brain that helps people think about consequences, control impulses, and make good choices is not fully developed until the mid-to-late twenties. This means teens may not always see risks the same way adults do or react as quickly as experienced drivers. Your rules, supervision, and support help fill that gap and keep your teen safer.

Your Involvement Matters

Your teen wants independence, but they still need your guidance. By staying involved, setting clear expectations, and leading by example, you can help protect your teen—and everyone else on the road.

You don’t just raise a driver. You help save a life.