New Teen Driving Class Emphasizes Safe Driving
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) knows firsthand the dangers inexperience behind the wheel can have when it comes to teenage driving. They don't need to look upon the staggering statistics that show the top cause for premature death among young people are automotive accidents because it is often the CHP who are part of the first responders to assist those in vehicle accidents. The CHP believes that no teen should have to lose their life because of an automobile accident and that is why the police enforcement agency will be providing a free Smart Class at CHP headquarters this Wednesday, February 27th in Sacramento.
Evidence provided from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows with concrete detail that teenage drivers are sadly the group most likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident that results in a fatality. The statistics and numbers surrounding teenage driving are very real, but unfortunately many families and communities don't pay attention to them until it is too late.
The heartbreak of an untimely death is unimaginably painful, and for the Stockton community that pain became abundantly clear when a fatal collision involving a group of teens reinforced the importance of teenage driving safety, safe driving behaviors and parental involvement. That is what the Smart Class focuses on, teenage driving safety for not only newly licensed drivers but also parents overseeing driving activity. This is why the CHP is making every effort to encourage parents or guardians to participate with their teens in the popular program where only a limited number of spaces are available due to high demand.
About The CHP Start Smart Program
The Start Smart program is hosted by the CHP and focuses on driver safety education among teens roughly aged 15-19 years old. Participants of the class will learn about techniques that focus on collision avoidance, trends in common collisions, driving laws, alcohol consumption, the process of acquiring a provisional license and more. Parents and teen drivers will have access to the latest videos demonstrating safe driving practices, in-class conversation and an opportunity to have a one-on-one or group discussion with CHP officers to address any topic, including the popular application of using GPS tracking systems to monitor teenage driving activity for things like speeding.



With the arrival of the new year comes new laws, but one new law related to teenage driving safety created quite a controversy among newly licensed teens in 2012. What this new driving law stated was that teenage motorists under the age of 18 caught driving in excess of 15mph over the speed limit would be arrested! Although the law was intended to be a proactive step in reducing the statistically frightening number of deaths associated with teenage driving, it has not sat well with those targeted by the law that has now been in place approximately for one year.