RELATED LINKS

Getting Started

• The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) has a comprehensive web site with everything you and your teen need to know about the Rookie Driver Program.
• A list of driving schools by county licensed by the MVA is available online at http://www.marylandmva.com/DriverServ/ROOKIEDRIVER/bschool.htm. Also check with your teen's school as some driving companies offer classes at high schools.
• MVA office locations and hours of operation. Available online at http://www.mva.state.md.us/LOCATION/default.asp
• Frequently asked questions - a quick answer to what forms need to be completed and what needs to be brought along in order to apply for a learner's permit. Available online at http://www.marylandmva.com/AboutMVA/FAQ/default.htm.
• Crossroads-The Maryland Parent-Teen Driving Agreement has guidelines for setting up rules and consequences to help keep your new drivers safe. Available online at Available online at http://www.marylandmva.com/OnlineServices/Docs/default.htm#RD_016
• Guidelines for Parents of New Drivers outlines what parents can do to help keep their new drivers accident free. Available online at http://www.marylandmva.com/DriverServ/ROOKIEDRIVER/guide.htm
• The Novice Driver's Road Map. The booklet "helps an adult coach guide the novice driver through a series of eight suggested driver or practice sessions starting with an empty parking lot and progressing through driving on a freeway. The Coach's Game Book contains important information on being a positive role model, what mistakes to expect, how to select a driving school and a teen/parent contract." Produced by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), 1900 L St. NW, Suite 705, Washington DC 20036. Phone: (202) 452-6005. Visit online at http://www.trafficsafety.org/Novice.asp
• New Driver Checklist for Parents can be used to help student drivers learn safe driving skills. Developed by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and available on the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle website at http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/general/safety/youngdriver/checklist.asp
• The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has resources on teen drivers available online at http://search.hwysafety.org/safety_facts/teens/teenager.htm. The IIHS has frequently asked questions and answers section about teen driving and graduated licensing. Available online at http://www.hwysafety.org/safety_facts/qanda/teens.htm and http://www.hwysafety.org/safety_facts/qanda/gdl.htm.
• The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also has the following video for sale: YOUNG DRIVERS: THE HIGH-RISK YEARS (VHS $35, 2002, color, sound, 16 minutes). Ordering information available online at http://search.hwysafety.org/videos.htm.
• The Drivers.com website has articles and links for parents including a guide with tips and hints for parents helping their teens learn how to drive. Available online at http://www.drivers.com/Top_New_Drivers_Parents.html
• To assist parents with the instruction of teen drivers, AAA has developed the Teaching Your Teens to Drive: A Partnership for Survival instructional kit. The program includes an illustrated handbook, detailed parents guide and either a live action video CD-ROM or videotape. It can be purchased at any AAA office for $24.95 for AAA members and $27.95 for non-members, or by calling 1-800-327-3444.
• For additional research on parents of teen drivers, contact: http://www.roadreadyteens.org/Research01.html
• For additional research on a program designed to reduce the risk of youth related car crashes, contact: http://www.ipromiseprogram.com/
• Ford Driving Skills for Life (www.drivingskillsforlife.com): Developed in 2003 by the Governors Highway Safety Association, Ford Motor Company Fund and a panel of safety experts, the program aims to assist newly licensed drivers develop skills necessary for safe driving beyond what they learn in standard driver education programs. The educational materials complement state graduated licensing laws by allowing parents or guardians to take an active role as their teen learns the rules of the road and help young drivers improve their skills in four key areas (hazard recognition; vehicle handling; space management; speed management.) Teacher and educator materials are available online at no charge in both English and Spanish, allowing instruction of the program in school or community settings. https://www.drivingskillsforlife.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=105 Ford Driving Skills for Life (www.drivingskillsforlife.com): Developed in 2003 by the Governors Highway Safety Association, Ford Motor Company Fund and a panel of safety experts, the program aims to assist newly licensed drivers develop skills necessary for safe driving beyond what they learn in standard driver education programs. The educational materials complement state graduated licensing laws by allowing parents or guardians to take an active role as their teen learns the rules of the road and help young drivers improve their skills in four key areas (hazard recognition; vehicle handling; space management; speed management.) Teacher and educator materials are available online at no charge in both English and Spanish, allowing instruction of the program in school or community settings. http://www.drivingskillsforlife.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=105/
• Driver's Ed Guru is a resource for new teen drivers and their parents dedicated to providing free instruction and advice for everything related to learning how to drive. http://www.driversedguru.com/link-to-us/ http://http://www.driversedguru.com/

Driving Distraction

• A University of North Carolina study, sponsored by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, discusses the role of driver distraction in traffic accidents. Study found that outside persons, objects, or events to be the most common driver distractions. Available at http://www.aaafoundation.org/projects/index.cfm?button=distraction
• Two 15 year-old teen-age racecar drivers speak out about the dangers of driver distraction. The "Fear This" website also features safe driving resources for parents and teens, a memorial wall, give-aways, links, and an online Teenager and Adult driver Responsibility Act brochure. Available at http://www.fearthis4life.org/michelle_and_reed_article.htm
• "Be sensible: Don't drive yourself to distraction" is an awareness campaign and program promoted by Cingular Wireless to educate teen drivers about the dangers of driver distraction. The website includes statistics, tips for avoiding distraction, and an online teen driver safety video. Available at http://www.cingular.com/be_sensible/be_sensible
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) Program to Combat Drowsy Driving. A Report to Congress on the Collaboration Between the NHTSA and NCSDR. Available on the NHTSA's website at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/drowsy_driving1/drowsy2/drws-cov.htm

Driving Laws

• A complete description of traffic laws and rules of the road can be found in the Maryland Driver's Handbook. Available at your local Maryland MVA office.
• A complete guide to Maryland laws, including vehicle laws and penalties can be found in the Maryland State Archives. Available online at http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/html/mmtoc.html
• Laws related to licensing. Available on the Maryland MVA website at http://www.mva.state.md.us/MVAProg/rookiedriver/law.htm
• Maryland rules of the road. Available on the Maryland MVA website at http://mva.state.md.us/AboutMVA/RULES/default.htm
• Maryland's Adult Seat Belt Law. Available on the Maryland State Highway Administration website at: http://www.sha.state.md.us/safety/oots/trafficsignalsandlaws/adultseat.asp
• Traffic Safety Laws. Available on the Maryland State Highway Administration website at http://www.sha.state.md.us/safety/oots/trafficsignalsandlaws/trafficsafe.asp
• For recent driving-related legislation in Maryland visit the Maryland MVA website at http://mva.state.md.us/
• for additional information on other state laws, contact: http://www.roadreadyteens.org/StateLaws01.html

Driving Under the Influence

• Mothers against drunk driving (MADD). Website includes an extensive list of alcohol-related web links and an "Under 21" section with current news on underage drinking and resources for youth, teachers, and parents. Available at http://www.madd.org
• Students against drunk driving (SADD). Website includes current news and events, information on SADD's DECISIONS newsletter, Alcohol: True Stories video, and information on local chapters. Available at http://www.saddonline.com.
• The following video clips are available on the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety website at http://www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/index.cfm?button=videos&vidsearch=0
• Just Another Saturday Night, 1998, 13:54. Video about a high school senior who drives his best friend and girlfriend home after drinking at a party. Highlights court proceedings after his friend is killed and girlfriend is seriously injured.
• Parents Discuss Kids, Cars, and Alcohol, 1990, 20:26. Provides information from experts and parents about teens and drinking and driving.
• Driver Zed's Driving Tips for Teens. Tips for teens on zero-tolerance laws. Available on the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety website at http://www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/index.cfm?button=PSAs
• A 1999 study of high school seniors found truancy and number of evenings out to be positively related, and grade point average and religious commitment to be negatively related, to drinking and driving and riding with a driver who had been drinking. Miles driven per week also related positively to drinking and driving.
  Source: O'Malley, PM and Johnston, LD. Drinking and driving among US high school seniors, 1984-1997. American Journal of Public Health 1999 May; 89(5): 678-84.
• The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Website includes alcohol fatality facts by age and gender available at http://www.iihs.org/safety_facts/fatality_facts/alcohol.htm and general information about drunk driving available at http://www.iihs.org/safety_facts/qanda/alcohol_general.htm
• Teens at Risk: A Guide to Prevent Impaired Driving is a "practical, how-to guide to deliver underage drinking information to parents at their place of business.A "take-home" section is provided for parents, filled with useful information and resources to help them to be informed about underage drinking as well as communication strategies to discuss these issues with their children." Produced by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), 8150 Leesburg Pike, Suite 410, Vienna, VA 22182. Phone: (888) 221-0045. Visit online at http://www.trafficsafety.org/index2.asp

High Risk Driving

• AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Winter advice for parents of young drivers available at http://www.aaa.com/news12/Traffic/yngdrivers.htm
• AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. How to handle glare for safer driving at night. Brochure available at http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/HeadlightGlareBrochure.pdf
• AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Video clips, "Driving in Bad Weather" and "Night Driving" available at http://www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/index.cfm?button=videos&vidsearch=0
• Tips on winter driving from the Maryland State Police. Available online at http://www.mdsp.maryland.gov/mdsp/unit23/psadetail.asp?ID=1
• Teendriving.com has tips for driving in bad weather. Available online at http://www.teendriving.com/weather.htm

Seat Belt Use

• The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Information about seat belt use, including state laws, newsletters, and news releases, is available online at http://search.hwysafety.org/safety_facts/belt_use.htm
• The National Safety Council. The Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign's goal is to "educate the public on how to maximize the lifesaving capabilities of air bags while minimizing the risk, and to increase the proper use of safety belts and child safety seats." Website has information on Click It or Ticket Campaign, how adults who don't buckle up impact their children's safety, and a state-by-state breakdown of teen fatalities by restraint use. Available at http://www.nsc.org/airbag.htm
• Buckle Up American is a national campaign coordinated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to increase the proper use of seat belts and child restraint seats. For up to date news, research, and strategies to increase seat belt use visit their website at http://www.buckleupamerica.org/
• Liberty Mutual Insurance. A chart comparing what parents think versus what teens do when it comes to wearing their seat belts is available at http://www.libertymutual.com/personal/teen/2000_seat_belt.html

Aggressive Driving

• DriveHomeSafe.com. Information about black boxes to monitor your teen's driving. Available at http://www.drivehomesafe.com/control_teendriver_speeding1.htm
• Maryland's Smooth Operator Program. For more information about aggressive driving in Maryland visit the Maryland's MVA website at http://mva.state.md.us/MVAProg/SMOOTHOP/aggressivedr.htm
• Tips on aggressive driving/road rage, developed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, emphasizes common sense driving techniques that may reduce the risk of encounters with angry drivers. http://www.aaamidatlantic.com
• Are YOU an Aggressive Driver? Take the Driver Stress Profile to Measure Your Hostility on the Road. Available from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety at: http://www.aaafoundation.org/quizzes/index.cfm?button=aggressive
• Video Clips from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Available at http://www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/index.cfm?button=videos&vidsearch=0. Video clips available include:
  • Road Rage (media coverage, Nov 7 & 8), 1996, 8:34.
  • Preventing Road Rage: Anger Management for Drivers, 1998, 20:17
  • MSNBC The Big Show: Road Rage/Bicyclist Interview with Chris Johnson, 1997, 7:55. Chronicles road rage incident in Langley Park, MD.
• PSAs from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Driver Zed's Driving Tips for Teens. Tips for teen on aggressive driving. Available at: http://www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/index.cfm?button=PSAs
• Aggressive Driving Quiz. Available from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety at: http://www.aaafoundation.org/quizzes/index.cfm