news.boisestate.edu - news

July 19, 2002

Teens Driving to School — A Rite of Passage
By Patricia Pyke
Boise State News Services

It’s the ultimate rite of passage and symbol of independence for teen-agers — driving their own cars to school.

Driving to school represents a new level of responsibility for teens — getting themselves to school safely and on time, and in many cases, balancing schoolwork with a job to pay for gas, insurance and car payments.

Before your teen-ager gets a car and starts driving to school is the best time to talk about school performance expectations, involvement in school activities and the ways a car and a job will affect those commitments, said Boise State University psychology professor Rob Turrisi.

“It’s a great opportunity to negotiate,” said Turrisi. “Kids are great at negotiating with you if they want something.

“It’s a great opportunity for a parent to say, ‘Sure, you can do that [drive or work], if you do these other things — get A’s and B’s, join the music club,’” or whatever other standards the family sets.

Often families work out agreements, such as, “If your grades start dropping, your car privileges start dropping too,” said Turrisi.

Some parents and teens use written contracts to spell out driving expectations. An example of one such contract is available at www.ipromiseprogram.com.

Although holding down a job to pay for car expenses can strain academic endeavors, it can also have positive effects, Turrisi said. “There are pros and cons for teens in the work force. The positives are learning responsibility, taking initiative and learning the value of a dollar.”

There are also pros and cons about driving to school. The accident rate for teen drivers is about two and a half times that of their parents, according to 2001 Idaho state collision data. Fender benders are common occurrences in school parking lots as hundreds of students jockey to exit the parking lot at the same time. At Eagle High School in southwest Idaho, for example, about half of the 2,400 students have parking lot permits.

On the positive side, many teen drivers help out their families by transporting younger siblings and getting themselves to orthodontist appointments and home from school sports and activities, said Christine Donnell, a Boise State graduate and superintendent of the Meridian School District, one of Idaho’s largest school districts.

“It actually assists parents in many ways when parents are working and aren’t able to provide transportation,” she said.

One final word of advice from Turrisi: Once your teen has a license, ride along on a regular basis to keep tabs on driving habits and to stay connected.

Contact:

Gary Direnfeld, MSW, Executive Director
I Promise Program
20 Suter Crescent,
Dundas, Ontario, Canada
L9H 6R5

(905) 628-4847
gary123@sympatico.ca
www.ipromiseprogram.com