Teen drivers in Minnesota are about to face some of the toughest driving rules in the region. And the new law means parents will have to spend more time behind the wheel with the young drivers.
The new rules will force teens to keep logs of their practice hours, and parents will have to sign off on those logs. The Driver and Vehicle Services, or DVS, will then require students to drive 50 "practice" hours, instead of 30. But parents can cut those hours down to 40, if the parent of guardian attends a "supplemental" parent class.
Teens Inc. instructor, Mike Pehl, has taught driving students for 25 years. He said he has seen three times more students this December than last because of the new law, and the hardest part is seeing parents not taking their teens out on drives within the first three months of having their permit.
"That's the hardest part of my job," Pehl said. "Those parents waste that valuable, valuable time of experience. Three months wasted. I just want to go up to the parents and say 'what have you done?'"
Maplewood resident, Paul Johnson, said he worries about his granddaughter's safety, and hopes the new driving law will keep her safe.
"She needs as much driving behind the wheel as possible because over time, she is going to get better," Johnson said.
Driving student, Antonio Diez, who is 15 years old, said the new requirements do not bother him because he wants to get out and drive.
"I would probably drive more than the 30 hours required," Diez said, "just because I have a permit and I want to get the experience."
Pehl said parents are getting done with this new law before Jan. 1 so they don't have to turn a piece of paper in when their kids go to get a driver's license, but they should be concerned because the required hours still are not enough. He said student drivers are still inexperienced.
"The No. 1 thing parents should be looking at is in my son or daughter really prepared to go into a whole bunch of disaster out there and function," Pehl said. "And when disaster does strike, meaning the car does crash, are they able to drive the car to do the defensive driving they need to do?"
The Department of Public Safety, or DPS, said car accidents are still the second leading cause of death among teens. It said 30 teens die in Minnesota each year. A DPS spokesman said that number has been consistent since 2006, but has dropped since 2004-2006, where the number was at 42 and 47, respectively.
Pehl has a website known as "Drive Safe Ride Safe," where he posts videos and statistics to show both parents and teens the dangers of driving.
The new rules will force teens to keep logs of their practice hours, and parents will have to sign off on those logs. The Driver and Vehicle Services, or DVS, will then require students to drive 50 "practice" hours, instead of 30. But parents can cut those hours down to 40, if the parent of guardian attends a "supplemental" parent class.
Teens Inc. instructor, Mike Pehl, has taught driving students for 25 years. He said he has seen three times more students this December than last because of the new law, and the hardest part is seeing parents not taking their teens out on drives within the first three months of having their permit.
"That's the hardest part of my job," Pehl said. "Those parents waste that valuable, valuable time of experience. Three months wasted. I just want to go up to the parents and say 'what have you done?'"
Maplewood resident, Paul Johnson, said he worries about his granddaughter's safety, and hopes the new driving law will keep her safe.
"She needs as much driving behind the wheel as possible because over time, she is going to get better," Johnson said.
Driving student, Antonio Diez, who is 15 years old, said the new requirements do not bother him because he wants to get out and drive.
"I would probably drive more than the 30 hours required," Diez said, "just because I have a permit and I want to get the experience."
Pehl said parents are getting done with this new law before Jan. 1 so they don't have to turn a piece of paper in when their kids go to get a driver's license, but they should be concerned because the required hours still are not enough. He said student drivers are still inexperienced.
"The No. 1 thing parents should be looking at is in my son or daughter really prepared to go into a whole bunch of disaster out there and function," Pehl said. "And when disaster does strike, meaning the car does crash, are they able to drive the car to do the defensive driving they need to do?"
The Department of Public Safety, or DPS, said car accidents are still the second leading cause of death among teens. It said 30 teens die in Minnesota each year. A DPS spokesman said that number has been consistent since 2006, but has dropped since 2004-2006, where the number was at 42 and 47, respectively.
Pehl has a website known as "Drive Safe Ride Safe," where he posts videos and statistics to show both parents and teens the dangers of driving.
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