The Office of Highway Safety is reminding teens and their parents of the importance of safe driving practices. The reminders were part of National Teen Driver Safety Week from October 18 through 24.
From 2021 to 2025, 26 teens aged 15 to 19 were killed in crashes on Delaware roadways. The loss of those young people underscores the need to emphasize safe driving habits with young people. Parents and caregivers play an important role in building safe driving habits among teens. OHS encourages them to talk about the dangers of speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving and riding with unsafe drivers.
Parents should set clear expectations but should also model the behaviors they want their teens to practice. By seeing their parents and caregivers make better driving choices, teens are more likely to do so as well.
In an effort to promote safe teen driving habits, OHS has released new installments of Local Lowdown, a video series featuring Master Corporal Smith of the Dover Police Department. Smith serves as a school resource officer and talks about teen drivers as well as the importance of staying safe on Delaware roadways. The video series offers parents and teens the opportunity to hear practical safety advice from the law enforcement perspective.
OHS also suggests that parents, caregivers and teens explore Delaware’s Graduated Driver Licensing Parent Orientation Program (GDL Pop), an interactive resource designed to help families understand GDL requirements and the responsibilities that come with earning a driver’s license. Parents and caregivers can find the resource online. The latest Local Lowdown can also be viewed online.
For more information on teen driving safety, visit the Office of Highway Safety.
