Newfoundland Injury Law Blog

Safe Driving Contract Worth Considering

All of us who have had teeenagers in recent years have been thankful for the various restrictions placed on new drivers such as curfew times and zero tolerance for alcohol.  These graduated licensing requirements have helped to save young lives and drive down the accident and injury rates.

Another example of legislative intervention to increase road safety and drive down the accident and injury rate is the ban on cell phones enacted by Newfoundland and Labrador in 2003.  In a story last weekend on Ontario's similar ban which takes effect at the end of October, the Globe and Mail reported that accidents caused by distracted driving declined 23% in the three years following the Newfoundland ban, according to the Department of Government Services.

But not every precaution against road accidents needs legislation to back it up.  A useful extension of safety practices can come in the voluntary form of a safe driving contract between parents and children licensed to drive a motor vehicle.  I have provided a form of safe driving contract in our library, which you can change to fit the circumstances and the understandings which you may negotiate with your child.  The value of the discussions around safety expectations and agreed safe practices cannot be underestimated.  Give it a try with your child.