Drivers as young as 15 can obtain a learner’s permit in Georgia. Now is a great time to talk to your teenager about the dangers affecting teenage drivers. Did you know that 37,461 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016 alone? Awareness and communication is essential to keeping your teenager safe behind the wheel. Explain and enforce the rules of driving. Start by discussing these six major dangers affecting teen drivers:

DRIVE SOBER
In 2016, nearly one out of five teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking alcohol.

BUCKLE UP
Roughly half of those 16 to 20 years old who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016 weren’t wearing seat belts.

NO DISTRACTIONS
About 10 percent of all teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were distracted at the time of the crash.

NO SPEEDING
Speeding was a factor in about one-third of all fatal teen driver crashes.

PASSENGERS
Passengers can serve as another distraction for inexperienced teen drivers. Georgia restricts teenagers under the age of 18 from having passengers other than family members for the first six months of having a driver’s license. In the second six months, the teenager may have no more than one passenger under the age of 21. Thereafter, he may have no more than three passengers until he is at the age of full privilege, which is 18.

DROWSY DRIVING
People are most likely to feel drowsy between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m., which is generally when teens are driving home from school.

Click here to review the state laws surrounding teen drivers in Georgia. (https://www.ghsa.org/state-laws/states/georgia).