Most driving literature for parents focuses on how to teach a teen to drive, without explaining why teen driving is so dangerous in the first place or giving parents a plan to preempt the hazards teens face. By contrast, Not So Fast empowers and guides parents to understand the causes and situations that most often lead to teen crashes and to take specific, proactive steps—before and each time a teen driver gets behind the wheel—to counteract them. This authoritative guide tackles hot button issues such as texting and distracted driving, parenting attitudes (conscious and unconscious), and teen impairment and fatigue—and includes a combination of topics not found in other teen driving guides, such as:

• How brain development affects driving
• Why driver’s ed does not produce safe drivers
• How and why to prepare a “flight plan” for each drive before handing over the keys
• How and when to say no

Every year, six million sons and daughters will become first-time drivers. Fifty-eight percent of them will be involved in a car accident within a year of getting their license, and a significant portion of these crashes will be fatal. But here's the good news: research has shown that car crashes can be reduced by up to 30 percent when you, the parent, are actively involved in your teen's instruction and set certain limits.

In Crashproof Your Kids, certified driving instructor and dad Timothy Smith has combined the collective wisdom of numerous experts to develop the Crashproof Plan: a series of behind-the-wheel exercises designed to improve your teen's driving awareness, behavior, and skill in a way that fits your schedule. Written in a highly accessible, informal, and often humorous style, this comprehensive plan begins where drivers' education programs end, and includes:

• A step-by-step plan to develop your teen's braking, car control, and defensive driving skills

• How to handle road emergencies and basic car maintenance

• Tips on helping your teen deal with dangerous distractions, including peer pressure and the use of alcohol and drugs

• The Crashproof Contract, which outlines the expectations, responsibilities, and rules of the road for both the teen and the parent

You'll get plenty of help on how to communicate vital driving concepts to your teen, and you'll laugh, learn, and sympathize with stories from parents who have already been there. Crashproof Your Kids is an essential resource for any parents wanting to help their teenagers successfully navigate the single most dangerous activity they'll ever undertake.

In this brilliant, lively, and eye-opening investigation, Tom Vanderbilt examines the perceptual limits and cognitive underpinnings that make us worse drivers than we think we are. He demonstrates why plans to protect pedestrians from cars often lead to more accidents. He uncovers who is more likely to honk at whom, and why. He explains why traffic jams form, outlines the unintended consequences of our quest for safety, and even identifies the most common mistake drivers make in parking lots. Traffic is about more than driving: it's about human nature. It will change the way we see ourselves and the world around us, and it may even make us better drivers.

Sixteen is by far the most dangerous age on the road. A 16-year-old is twelve times more likely than older drivers to die in a crash as a single occupant. Put two young teens in a vehicle, and the odds of death and injury nearly double. Despite these sobering facts, the procedure for obtaining a driver’s license in most states remains minimal. Commercial driving schools, even the most competent and conscientious among them, cannot possibly provide complete instruction. This book helps to address this enormous problem and is an indispensable guide for teaching teens to drive for parents and teens to use together. Each new lesson provides simple instructions and important tips to remember. It also addresses parental issues such as "How do I choose a car for my teen?". With simple graphics, a complete index, "ABC's for the Road," and a mini-encyclopedia for teens, the book offers a valuable tool for all new drivers and their teachers.

This easy-to-read book features explanations of safe driving techniques and is used in many states as a textbook for in-class driving instruction. It is a great learning tool for a new driver and a good refresher for the more experienced driver.

Massachusetts’ multi-stage licensing process allows teens to gradually gain exposure to complex driving situations, easing them into driving over an extended period of time. The learner’s permit and junior operator’s license are key steps.