I recently had a chance to go back to the Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family Show Facebook page, where I found about a hundred comments on my October 22 interview segment. Many parents, grandparents, and relatives wrote to tell the stories of their loss of a teen in a crash; the outpouring was very touching. Others commented on safe teen driving in other ways. Here is a sampling [with some paraphrasing]:
“My son turned 16 today. He is bugging me for his drivers license but I told him he was not ready for it yet. I did not think he was responsible enough yet. He is not happy with me. Oh, the parent’s job!”
“I’ve always said that children should have to get their high school diploma/GED before they can get a drivers license.”
“My 18 year old just got her license, drives 40 miles per day to the university (I made her wait until 18). My 15 year old is in Drivers Ed and I have a 14 year old right behind her. My world is consumed with teen driving. To top it off I was a Bodily Injury Auto Claims Adjuster for over ten years, so I have a sort of PTSD [post traumatic stress disorder] when it comes to driving in general….”
“My stepson just got his license. His Dad, Mom and Step-Dad believe he’s responsible and can handle driving anytime. I want to believe this but I know teenagers can be irresponsible and unaware.”
“My daughter is 15 and she is ready but I am not. I know that if she has her license she will think that gives her the ‘right’ to just drive anywhere, so I have chosen not to let her, out of fear. Problem is, I can’t do this forever.”
“I live in West Texas where we are #1 in fatalities in the country. Not proud of this is fact.”
“We have a 15 year old taking driving lessons as we speak, while this Momma’s nerves are praying they change the driving age in Illinois to 18.”
“I let me son drive early because he was in the Running Start program, which is an early college program at the high school. He was carrying a 4.0 and a good kid, very involved in church, loved life, and didn’t drink or do drugs. He was killed in a head-on collision. Kids simply don’t have the skills at young ages to make quick decisions.”
Thank you, parents, for your comments. They remind me why I do this safe teen driving work.
