The day a teenager receives a driver’s license can be a bittersweet moment for parents. While parents may be proud and happy to have another driver in the house, the notion that kids can now drive without Mom or Dad riding shotgun can be scary. That’s because driver inexperience remains a big accident risk.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says teen drivers continue to be overrepresented in crash data, despite 2025 seeing a record low in traffic fatalities. The NHTSA notes drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are nearly three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash per mile driven compared to drivers 20 and older. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also indicates that the first few months of independent teen driving are the most dangerous. The primary culprit for accidents is a “lack of scanning” to detect hazards, and driving too fast for road conditions.
Parents of newly minted licensed drivers can implement various measures to safeguard such youngsters.
• Look into graduated driver licensing. Some areas have a GDL program that includes nighttime driving restrictions, curfews and passenger limits. Parents and their teens should educate themselves about the rules of driving at various ages, as perks increase as drivers get older.
• Note effects on insurance premiums. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company says adding a teen driver to an auto insurance policy typically increases premiums by hundreds of dollars per month due to higher accident risks. Generally, the most costeffective option is to add a teen to a parent’s policy instead of purchasing a separate one. Teens with a learner’s permit usually are covered under a parent’s policy without a rate increase until they are fully licensed. But parents are urged to clarify the effects of adding teen drivers in relation to their insurance premiums.
• Emphasize the need to minimize distractions. Modern teen drivers have many more distractions to contend with than drivers of older generations. Cell phones are a constant draw that put teen drivers at risk. Roughly 10 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of their accident, according to the NHTSA.
• Insist on seat belt use. Partners for Safe Teen Driving says, despite years of advocacy, teens have the lowest seat belt use of any age group. Parents may have to remind teen drivers that seat belt use is nonnegotiable.
Parents of teen drivers may soon be facing new challenges as they must trust their sons and daughters to be responsible on the road.
