A New Solution?

If Chicago aldermen have their way, teens will soon find their cell phones disabled if they’re driving.  The text-stopping application would kick in if the mobile phone is in a car going faster than 5 mph. Several companies already sell such technology in the form of an app linked to the GPS in the phone.  What do you think?  Great idea or too intrusive? Leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts!

New Teen Driving Statistics

U.S. News and World Report issued a new report this week on teen drivers.  It encompassed more than 800 teen drivers involved in “serious” crashes.  What was discovered might surprise you.  Many times, we wonder how many teen crashes have alcohol involved.  Turns out, inexperience and distractions are far more likely to cause a young driver to crash.  Not only that, but Allison Curry, director of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, says ”This study shows the vast majority of crashes occur not because the teen drivers are behaving badly, but because they have not yet developed the crucial skills they need.”

While this might seem like good news, and after all, it’s always reassuring to know our kids aren’t necessarily behaving badly, the fact is, this study only reiterates the importance of incorporating every possible tool to ensure our kids have the right knowledge before they get behind the wheel.  Adding another dimension of protection, such as the Drive Zebra “How’s My Driving?”  Safe Teen Driver Monitoring System, provides peace of mind for anxious parents.

A full 66% of the errors discovered in those 800 crashes were due to a critical teen driving error such as speeding or being distracted.  The DriveZebra program allows other drivers to serve as your eyes and ears when you’re not with your teen on the roadways.

Learn more by visiting DriveZebra.com and see for yourself how we can help your teen help himself.

How Your Business Can Become a Safe Teen Driver Partner

What if we had a great way for you to help your community, become proactive in efforts to keep teen drivers safe while also drawing new customers? And what if it is at no cost to you? We have just the program.

We’re proud to announce any business in the United States can become a Safe Teen Driver Partner at no cost. You will be able to provide customers discounts in the name of your business and it will save them $125. We provide the flyers, as many as you need, so that you can give them out in your community. It’s a great way to keep teen drivers safer on the roads while building quality relationships with customers and clients.

Sound good? If so, drop us a line at drivezebra@yahoo.com and be sure to visit our website, too. We can get you up and going in no time flat. Have questions? We’re here to help! You can email us at any time. Be sure to become a fan on our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, too.

South Dakota’s Teen Drivers

Anyone who has a teenager understands the importance of safety. There’s not a single time when we hear those car keys jingle and the front door close behind our teens that we don’t worry until we hear the car door slam that tells us they’ve made it back home safely. That’s exactly what South Dakota Senator Cooper Garnos thought when he proposed a new bill in the state’s legislature. The father of a fifteen year-old driver, he knows all too well the statistics for teen drivers in his state.

Because South Dakota is a largely rural area, teens begin driving as early as 14 since it’s not uncommon for them to contribute to the family ranch or farm. Further, some teens drive twenty miles or more to attend school. That could soon change, however. Senator Garnos, along with at least 8 other senators and representatives have introduced HB1221. This will allow a task force to be formed that will focus on everything from the state’s current laws to safe teen driving programs to researching whether or not a graduated licensing system for teen drivers is an option. Ideally, this new graduated system would allow “degrees” of privileges to ensure young people had plenty of practice and supervised driving time before setting out alone.

Currently, the house passed this bill 44-24. It will now go before the senate and many say it could very well get lost behind more pressing issues.

Drive Zebra hopes those safeguards are put into place to protect South Dakota teens. We know how beneficial safe driving programs are. They save lives and greatly reduce the risk of getting into an accident.  As a collective society, we owe our young drivers every advantage as they begin an exciting new chapter in their lives.