NOT SO FAST
Parenting Your Teen Through the Dangers of Driving
First published in 2013, NOT SO FAST is a unique resource for parents of teen drivers. It focuses on what parents can do before their teens get behind the wheel to help prevent the predictable, most dangerous teen driving situations from happening. Publisher’s Weekly calls NOT SO FAST, “A concise, practical and potentially life-saving book that should be required reading for every parent before their teen gets behind the wheel.” The book has been recognized by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the National Safety Council. Sale proceeds are donated to the Reid Hollister Memorial Fund, which supports infant and toddler education in Hartford, Connecticut.
But the just-released second edition, co-authored by Pam Shadel Fischer and Tim Hollister, is even better! It takes direct aim at the causes of teen driver crashes, and features new information on drowsy, drugged, and distracted driving; parent/teen driving agreements; and current research on graduated driver license laws and vehicle monitoring technology. Most importantly, this new edition combines the knowledge and perspectives of a mother who is also one of the nation’s foremost experts on teen safe driving, and a father who lost his son in a one-car crash.
Pam Fischer is a transportation safety consultant with three decades of experience addressing behavioral safety issues at the local, state, and national level through advocacy, education, enforcement, policy, and planning. Co-founder of the New Jersey Teen Safe Driving Coalition, she has authored five national reports on teen driving for GHSA and worked to strengthen New Jersey’s teen driving laws, which are credited with reducing crashes and fatalities. But her most important work is partnering with her son, Zachary, now 22 , to help him build skills to become a good driver for life.
Tim Hollister‘s 17-year-old son, Reid, died in a one-car crash in Connecticut in 2006. A year later, Connecticut’s governor appointed Tim to a task force charged with overhauling the state’s teen driver laws. That work prompted him to launch the award-winning national blog for parents of teen drivers, From Reid’s Dad. In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration honored Tim’s parent education efforts with the nation’s highest civilian award for traffic safety. Tim is an environmental lawyer in Connecticut.
The Authors
Co-authors Tim Hollister and Pam Fischer (right) with Foreword author Deborah Hersman
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Praise
“This concise, practical, and potentially life-saving book should be required reading for every parent before their teen gets behind the wheel.”
PublishersWeekly“Tim Hollister’s Not So Fast is a public service to parents of teen drivers and the cause of traffic safety, particularly in the area of safe teen driving. Government officials and the public rely heavily on parents for assistance and cooperation to promote safety. The advice and insights in Not So Fast are a significant step toward that goal.”
Norman Mineta“As a long-time researcher on your drivers, I strongly recommend Not So Fast as evidence-based, sensible advice to parents seeking to make informed decisions as their teens become drivers. This is a highly readable and important guide.”
Allan F. Williams“Given that the judgment part of the brain does not fully mature until ages 22 to 25, parents would do well to set standards and expectations early on, as risks will remain in place for years to come despite experience. This is an interesting addition to an underrepresented topic; recommended for all libraries.”
Library Journal“Safe teen driving involves a dedicated partnership between parents and their teens. Not So Fast is a vital resource for any family that seeks to be safe on the road by working together”
Jim Graham“Reading this book is a down payment on your teen’s life. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens, and as parents we are the first line of defense. I am so grateful to Pam and Tim for providing this great roadmap for parents”
from the Foreword by Deborah HersmanPreview the book!
Table Of Contents
Foreword by Deborah Hersman, President, National Safety Council
Author’s Note
Introduction: “Not So Fast, Young Man/Lady”
1 – Tim’s Story
2 – Pam’s Story
3 – Why There Is No Such Thing as a Safe Teen Driver
4 – Baseline Dangers and Higher Risk Factors
5 – “My Kid Is Very Responsible!”
6 – What Driver’s Ed Is and Isn’t
7 – The ABCs of GDL (Graduated Driver Licensing)
8 – When Should a Teen Start Driving?
9 – Acting Like an Air Traffic Controller
10 – Negotiating and Enforcing a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement
11 – The Difference Between Purposeful Driving and Joyriding
12 – Getting a Teen to Acknowledge the Risks
13 – The Ceremony of the Keys
14 – The Unappreciated Danger of Passengers, Even Siblings
15 – Managing Curfews
16 – Supervising the Brand New Driver
17 – Traffic Tickets as Teaching Moments
18 – Car Buying and Sharing, and Saving on Gas
19 – Distracted Driving: Texting, “Connected Cars,” GPS, and Headphones
20 – Alcohol and Drug-Impaired Driving
21 – Drowsy Driving
22 – What Schools Can Do
23 – Blind Zones
24 – Vehicle Identification Stickers
25 – Defensive Driver Education as a Supplement
26 – Non-English-Speaking and Single Parent Households
27 – Supervising Other People’s Teens
28 – In Summary: Tips from Tim and Pam
Afterword: A Plea to Parents
Teen Driving Resources
Model Parent-Teen Driving Agreement
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Authors
In Bookstores Now
Order your copy today!