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PARENTS

Driving is a complex and often demanding task, even for skilled and experienced motorists. To drive safely you must control the vehicle, comply with traffic laws and regulations, monitor traffic conditions, watch the behavior of other drivers, keep an eye out for children, pedestrians, animals and cyclists, and maneuver in all kinds of weather and road conditions.

 

The safety and the well-being of your children and those who travel with them are the primary concerns of Five Star Driving School. We have constructed our methods of behind the wheel instruction, the definitive education on how to develop and master driving and risk-management skills based on managing visibility, time, and space in all driving situations.

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As a free service to our customers, Five Star Driving School is offering an optional course to all of our parents and guardians acting as supervising adults behind-the-wheel. Our parental consultation is designed to equip supervising adults with basic knowledge on instructing their new drivers.

Parents must lead by example. Don’t wait until your teen is old enough to drive to start modeling good driving behaviors. If you talk on the phone, text, speed or drive without your seat belt, so might your teen.

  • We offer personalized training that addresses your teen’s unique training needs.

  • Not only do we teach the basic defensive driving skills. We address issues like road rage, cell phones, and text messaging.

  • Our student-to-teacher ratio is always 1 to 1. The Motor Vehicle Commission requires licensed schools to provide one-on-one behind-the-wheel instruction.

  • We prioritize face-to-face interaction between our instructors and parents. It’s important for parents to know what skills they need to work on with their young drivers during practice.

LOCAL STATISTICS

YOUNG DRIVER CRASH RATE BY COUNTY  

2014 - 16-20 year olds per 10,000

* Estimates of the number of 16-20 year-old residents were based on the 2010 Census. See Methods Section for more details . (Appendix A)

ESSEX

MORRIS

UNION

SOMERSET

COUNTY

25,969

13,278

18,647

10,050

TOTAL # OF CRASHES

2,616

2,332

2,371

1,633

# OF YOUNG
DRIVER CRASHES

10.1%

17.6%

12.7%

16.2%

PROPORTION
CRASHES INVOLVING 
YOUNG DRIVERS
NUMBER OF TOTAL & YOUNG DRIVER CRASHES, BY COUNTY - 2014 

Every 11 minutes a Teen Driver crashes.

Statistics

PARENTS REALLY DO MATTER

Parents may have a false sense of confidence in their new driver, especially when they have successfully instilled good values that their child has demonstrated by making good decisions. 

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What we’re learning is that those values and good decisions don’t always make their way into the car. Young drivers may not make the same connection between the choices they are making in the car and the consequence of even one wrong decision. 

Teens Describing Parents that support, set rules and monitor:

  • Half as Likely to Crash

  • 71% Less Likely to Drive While Intoxicated

  • 30% Less Likely to Use a Cell Phone While Driving

  • Twice as Likely to Wear Seat Belts

  • Twice as Likely to Believe Belts Affect Safety

  • Speed Half as Often

There are 11 deaths each day involving young drivers.

ENFORCING THE GDL LAW
GDL Decal Ideology

The GDL Decal was developed as an enforcement tool to identify teen drivers who are subject to the passenger and curfew restrictions for law enforcement to increase compliance of these two lifesaving restrictions.

Protecting a High Risk Age Group

  • Teens crash four times more often than any other age group.

  • More than 40 percent of their crashes occur between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

  • A teen driver’s fatality risk increases by 44 percent with one passenger, doubles with two passengers and quadruples when carrying three or more passengers.

  • American Automobile Association (AAA)

 GDL Decal Enforcement Efficacy

According to a study conducted by CHOP’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention that evaluated New Jersey’s GDL decal, enforcement matters!

  • Police enforcement of the GDL increased by 14% since the introduction of the decal.

  • More than 1,600 teen driver crashes were prevented.

  • A 9% reduction in teen driver crashes statewide was realized.

GDL LAWS

GRADUATED DRIVER LICENSE VIOLATIONS

New Jersey Title 39:3-13.8

Fine for violations of special learners permit, examination permit and probationary drivers license: $100 plus court costs & fees (no points)

 39:3-13.8a. Supervision requirement for permit holders

All special learners permit and examination permit holders must be accompanied by an adult supervising driver in the front seat who must possess a valid New Jersey driver license, be at least 21 years of age and licensed to drive for at least three years

 39:3-13.8b. Passenger restriction

The driver may only transport one passenger*

Exceptions: This restriction is waived if the driver is accompanied by a parent or if the passengers are the driver’s dependents (children)*

* Passenger restrictions and exceptions are applicable to all probationary, examination and special learners permit drivers.

 39:3-13.8c. Hours of operation

No driving between 11:01 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

 39:3-13.8d. Seat belt requirements

All occupants must be properly restrained

 39:3-13.8e. 
Hand-held or hands-free interactive wireless communication device use restriction

Drivers cannot use cell phones (hand-held or handsfree), hand-held video games or any other hand-held wireless electronic devices (i.e., ipods, GPS)

Exception: Waived in the event of an emergency

 39:3-13.8g. Decal requirements

All permit and probationary license holders under the age of 21 must display a red decal on the front and rear license plate of the vehicle they are operating

Laws
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