Driving is a Privilege... Not a Right

By Ret. Master Police Officer James Poer

As Americans, we often confuse what are our rights and what are our privileges. Teens… well, they really don’t have a clue.

Rights are something that every American has. We have the right to free speech… within the law. You can’t go into a movie theater and yell “fire”. We have the right to bear arms… again it must be used within the law. However, there is nothing in the Constitution that says we have the right to drive.

Every state gives us the privilege to drive and they can take it away if we abuse this privilege. As a parent of a young driver, you also have the ability to take away this privilege.

We have laws set by the US government. We have laws set by every state in this country. Every city has specific statutes that are really local laws. Your family has rules (or laws) within your household. But do you have specific rules for your teen driver to follow?

Sure, you may have talked about rules before and they may be based on what the state declares as a law, but do you have it in writing?

Simply discussing rules and the consequences of breaking a rule is one thing. Putting it in writing gives you much more power. Imagine if the President of the United States told us that we can no longer put jelly on our peanut butter sandwiches. Congress never passes the law and it was never put in writing. Do you think a judge could convict you if you put jelly on your peanut butter sandwich?

Okay, I may be reaching here but my point is, if you put in writing, it holds more weight. It shows your teen that you are very serious about your young driver’s safety and you will impose punishment for breaking the “Family’s Driving Laws”.

And don’t be afraid to take away privileges when these “laws” are broken. If you find out your teen has been driving while talking on the cell phone, driving with too many passengers, speeding, or any other dangerous action, take away privileges and be swift about it.

If your teen has agreed in writing, he or she will know that the consequences are going to be enforced!

You can download a FREE Parent/ Teen Driver Contract by visiting www.teendriverinsurance.com. There is also a Consequences Agreement where you can put in writing specifically what will happen if your young driver breaks certain rules.

Laws are put in writing to be respected and enforced. Your teen will hold greater respect for your family laws if they are in writing too.