National Teen Driver Safety Week Is October 17-23, 2021

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) announced their recognition of National Teen Driver Safety Week in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and public safety partners across Florida. The campaign runs from October 17-23 and aims to educate teens and their caregivers on safe driving practices and remind them of the risks and responsibilities associated with driving.

Governor Ron DeSantis participated in the observance of National Teen Driver Safety Week by issuing a proclamation in observance of Teen Driver Safety Week in Florida encouraging teenaged Florida drivers to help reduce injuries and tragic loss of life. According to the proclamation, Florida teens (ages 15-19) make up approximately 5% of Florida’s licensed drivers. However, crashes with teen drivers typically make up 11% of all crashes in Florida. In 2020, there were 39,150 crashes with teen drivers, resulting in 97 teen-driver fatalities statewide.

It is important for parents to ensure their teenaged kids are following the rules of their specific licenses as there are differing laws and curfews depending on age and category. Here is a quick refresher:

• Learner’s License
  • Daylight hours for first three months after license issued – until 10 p.m. after three months
  • ALWAYS accompanied by a licensed driver 21+
  • Must hold for a minimum of 12 months or until 18th birthday, whichever comes first
  • Required 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 of which must be at night

• Driver’s License – Age 16
  • NOT between 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
    • Unless driving to or from work OR accompanied by a licensed driver 21+

• Driver’s License – Age 17
  • NOT between 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
    • Unless driving to or from work OR accompanied by a licensed driver 21+

The FLHSMV’s Teen Driver Safety campaign also encourages parents to remind their kids that driving is a privilege, and like any privilege, it can be taken away. In fact, parents (and legal guardians) can even cancel their kid’s license as long as they’re still a minor! You may want to lead with that. Here’s their full list of tools and language to take ownership of their driving habits:

• Parents can rescind a minor’s driver license.
  • The parent or guardian who signs the Parental Consent Form can rescind responsibility for their minor’s driving and cancel the minor’s license.

• If teens get six or more points on their license within 12 months, their license is restricted to “Business Purposes Only” for one year.
  • If teens receive six points on their driving record within a 12 month period, driving privileges are automatically restricted to Business Purposes Only for 12 months or until age 18, whichever happens first. If additional points are received during this restricted period, the restriction is extended 90 days for each additional point.

• If under 21, it’s ZERO TOLERANCE for drinking and driving.
  • Drivers under the age of 21 with a blood alcohol level of .02 percent or more will have their license immediately suspended for six months. A second offense will result in a one year suspension. Refusal to submit to testing (first offense) results in a suspension of 12 months, 18 months on a second offense.

• If a teen receives a moving violation conviction with a Learner’s License, they have one more year until they can get an Operator’s License.
  • If a teen receives a moving traffic conviction with a Learner’s License, the one-year period required to hold the Learner’s License will be extended for one year from the date of the conviction, or until 18 years old, whichever happens first.

• Teens must be in compliance with school attendance, or they will be ineligible to obtain or maintain their license.
  • If not in compliance with school attendance, a teen’s driving privilege can be suspended until proof of attendance in school for 30 consecutive days has been provided.

• If convicted of possession of tobacco, minors lose their license for a minimum of 30 days.
  • If convicted for possession of tobacco or nicotine products under the age of 18, the minor’s license will be suspended for 30 days or more.