Teen Driver Safety: How Your Teen Can Become a Safe Driver  

By COUNTRY Financial

Parenting can be tricky at any life stage, but parents face a range of new challenges when their teenagers start driving. You want your teens to enjoy their newfound independence, but how do you make sure they stay safe on the road? 

According to the Centers for Disease Control¹, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens (ages 13–19) in the U.S. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 – 19 have a fatal crash rate almost three times as high as drivers ages 20 and older.  

Statistics like these make it difficult to hand over the keys to your new driver, but there are many ways to instill safe driving behavior. Try these methods to prepare your teenager to safely take the wheel.  

Discuss distracted driving with your teen  

From smartphones to touch screen monitors and satellite radio, we’re surrounded by more distracting technology in our cars than ever before. A split-second glance at a screen can end in tragedy for your teenager, their passengers, and other drivers, so make sure you discuss using tools to help keep their eyes on the road. For example, many smartphones offer apps that will disable incoming texts while the car is moving and will alert the person who sent the text that the recipient is driving and can’t respond at that time.  

Teach your new driver to plan ahead to avoid potential driving distractions. Before starting the ignition, your teen should handle all the tasks he or she may be tempted to do while driving, queuing up their playlist and inputting their destination into a map app. Don’t forget fundamental safety precautions like checking mirrors and buckling seatbelts. Making it a habit to complete these steps before they pull out of the driveway can help make sure they get there safely. 

Teenage driving laws

Teens' lack of driving experience and maturity can make them riskier drivers. They are often tempted to speed, run red lights, roll through stop signs, and otherwise break the law while driving. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have enacted a three-stage graduated driver licensing system that reduces high-risk driving situations for new drivers: a learner's permit stage with supervised driving, an intermediate license stage with restrictions like limited passengers, nighttime curfews and cell phone use, and a full, unrestricted license once those requirements are met.

All states also enforce zero tolerance laws, making it illegal for anyone under 21 to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in their system, a stricter standard than the legal limit for adult drivers.

Graduated licensing rules vary from state to state. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety² maintains a state-by-state table of these laws that can help you know exactly what applies where you live.

Beyond state law, many families also set their own driving rules for teenage drivers through a written parent-teen driving agreement covering curfews, passenger limits, phone use and other household expectations, an approach the CDC specifically recommends.

Use auto telematics to track driving behavior  

Many insurance companies, including COUNTRY Financial, offer auto telematics apps that gather data on things like acceleration, braking, cornering and phone usage. Auto telematics programs also reward drivers for safe driving with a discount on car insurance. Learn more about COUNTRY Financial DriverIQ.  

How to save on car insurance for teenagers 

Because teens are typically riskier drivers, their car insurance rates can be more expensive than for an adult driver. However, there are ways to save money on car insurance for teens, such as: 

• Take a safe driving course. COUNTRY offers Simply Drive², an online course that, if completed, can result in a 10% discount on car insurance. 

• Keep those grades up! Full-time students with at least a B grade point average could save up to 35% on car insurance with a Good Student Discount.  

Learn more about car insurance.

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Published 8-31-26