Parental Responsibility Is Critical.(Special Report)

Byline: PHIL BERARDELLI

Many parents remain shockingly clueless about the magnitude of the risk for teen drivers. They give in much too easily to pressure from teens to obtain a driver's license on or near their 16th birthday. Likewise, many allow their kids to breeze through the perfunctory steps that pass for driving instruction in this country, then blithely hand over the keys to the family vehicle, or buy one for their young driver right away-often something flashy, top-heavy or too powerful.

What is so puzzling is how strongly this situation counters typical parental behavior for the first 16 years of a child's life. During that time parents eagerly spring for all kinds of instruction: piano lessons, dancing lessons, skating lessons and so forth. They cart the kids endlessly back and forth to such sessions, spending hundreds of hours and lots of money.

No parent would pay for only six piano lessons and then expect a child to perform at a concert. And no parent would send a child to six swimming lessons then demand a championship athletic performance.

So why is it, when it counts the most-when it becomes a matter of life and death-that so many parents shrink from their responsibility to instruct, supervise and protect their children? Why do they settle for only six hours of driver training behind the wheel?

Most states have at least imposed graduated licensing programs, which strengthen some of the requirements for beginning drivers-and have resulted in decreased fatality rates-but those laws go only so far.

Given the situation and the dangers, responsible parents have no choice. They must do for their beginning drivers what they have done during earlier phases of their children's development. They must assume responsibility to supervise a safe and complete driving instruction program.