Research shows that motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens (Center for Disease Control, 2002) . One third of all 16-year-old licensed drivers will be involved in a motor vehicle crash (Fatality Analysis Reporting System - FARS- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2005). More than 450,000 teen passengers and drivers were injured and more than 5,500 died as a result of vehicle crashes in 2005 and 32% of all teen driving deaths are alcohol related (FARS 2005). And also teens are less likely than other drivers to wear seat belts.

Yes. The reality is really shocking. Driver inexperience and maturity level behind the wheel are the two factors that lead to this shocking reality. With thousands of teens being injured or killed on the roads, teen driving safety has become an issue of national priority and a top concern for parents. To help parents protect new teen drivers, Chrysler Group and leading national safety organizations have developed a research-based teen driving safety initiative called Road Ready Teens.

The Road Ready Teens program guides parents on how to incorporate proven, lifesaving strategies into their teens’ beginning driving stages. An innovative, home-based program, the Road Ready Teens provides parents with the tips and tools — in ways teens can relate — to ease their teen into driving. Meanwhile, research also shows that when parents take an active role in their teens’ driving education and set driving guidelines, their teens’ chances of being in an accident can come down by up to one-third.

Based on research and principles advocated by the prominent safety organizations, Road Ready Teens’ tips and tools help teens gain the necessary driving experience and maturity behind the wheel before tackling high-risk driving situations. The recommendations of the Road Ready Teens have been built upon laws on the books in most states, as well as on the skills and principles teens often learn in driving classes.

Parents can implement the Road Ready Teens program in their homes by going through the recommendations, setting the guidelines and personalizing the Parent-Teen Road Rules Contract with their teens. The teens are required to play Road Ready Streetwise Version 2.0, a state-of-the-art video game that helps them better understand the risks they face in early driving years.

The parents have to talk about the privilege of driving and the risks that come with being behind the wheel. This will help their teens to become safer drivers and recognize the risks other drivers pose. The understanding of these risks is aimed at making the teens safer drivers.

Download Chrysler Get Road Ready for Teens PDF