I received my license to drive a motor vehicle in 1974, my learner’s permit a year earlier. I have never had a ticket!  I am a very safe driver. I do not speed, I never take my eyes off the road, I don’t play loud music and I never drink and drive! My only driving vice is occasionally accepting a work related cell phone call or personal cell phone call from family and friends. 

My son Greg Jr. has now joined thousands of other teen drivers and my hair is standing on top of my head. Fortunately for Greg Jr. he convinced me two years ago to let him teach himself how to drive at home. We have a ½ acre lot and Greg Jr. took advantage of his opportunity to drive around the yard and pull the cars in and out of the garage. 

Greg Jr. received his permit the other day and for the first time drove on a public street with me sitting beside him. I took annual leave and allowed Greg Jr. to drive around town for about eight hours. He did an excellent job. He also drove on Interstate 65 and Interstate 85. Just before driving on the Interstate Greg Jr. said in a nervous voice “Oh my God, am I ready for this?” I guess he was because we made it without incident. 

I have decided that I want Greg Jr. to get as much experience driving with me as possible so that he can learn how to drive safely. Let us visit the statistics. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that immaturity and lack of driving experience cause the disproportionate number of fatal motor vehicle deaths among teens. When do these fatalities occur? Most teen traffic fatalities occur between the hours of 9pm and 6am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Another factor in teen traffic deaths is riding a lot of other teenagers around in the car. Inexperience and passengers can lead to disaster. 

Greg Jr. knows that even when he obtains a driver license I will know if he is driving safely. First when I purchase his car tag it will say “Greg Jr.” and on the back of his new vehicle will be my phone number and “How is my driving?” Call my dad at ……….! 

Please share this article with your child because it could save their life!

In the words of my dad, “If you don’t have money at least have class!”

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com