When your teenager gets behind the wheel

In life, there are passengers and there are drivers. But when it comes to teenage drivers, there are mostly just nail-bitingly nervous parents. After 17 or more years of eagle-eyed control over your baby, handing over the car keys to a teenager can be one of the more gut-wrenching moves of motherhood

And with good reason - motor vehicle crashes involving teenaged drivers are the number-one cause of death for young adults ages 16 to 24, according to the National Safety Council. This age group also boasts the highest violation rates in speeding, driving while intoxicated, ignoring traffic control devices and improper overtaking.

But the good news is that you do have a surprising amount of control over the type of driver your teenager becomes.

Teenaged drivers who have had their licence for less than a month report a noticeable amount of risky driving behaviour, according to new research.'But when parents and teenagers agree on driving conditions and consequences of unsafe driving, there's less risky behaviour' says study author Professor Kenneth Beck of the University of Maryland.

In his interviews of more than 500 families (parents and teens were questioned separately) over the course of one, four and nine months, Beck observed that initial agreement was the best predictor of less risky behaviour months later.

So how best to establish this agreement? Beck firmly emphasises the importance of creating a written contract with your teen. 'If they're not written down, it's easy to forget the rules,' he says, 'and it's easier for teens to wiggle out of them.'

Agreements will vary from family to family, but they should basically address all the conditions under which a teenager is and is not allowed to drive - as well as the consequences of breaking said rules. Plus, since risky driving behaviour lessens over time, it should address when such rules could be amended. For example, if driving at night is verboten for the first three months, you may consider allowing it later if your child's properly proven his prowess.

'The main dilemma we face is that teens will only get better as they drive, but the more they drive the more their risk exposure increases,' says Beck. 'So we need to give teens as much experience as we can handle under reduced risk circumstances.

Use the following guidelines to draw up your driving agreement. Let your teenager in on the discussion, and explain your decision process. The more you both agree from the onset, the safer he'll be.

• Going solo: According to research, the risk of a crash increases with each additional teen passenger. Think about it: the laughing, the gossiping, the stereo - more friends equals more distractions. Your teen's first three months behind the wheel are most safely spent in solitary confinement - or with adults you trust
• Never at night: Teenagers who drive after midnight also tend to have a higher crash risk. This is one of the easiest things you can monitor and prevent, since you know when your teen is and is not home.
• Oh, the places you'll go: Make sure you know where your child plans to go and how he plans to get there every time he uses the car. This way, you can chat about potentially dangerous roads and junctions, and discuss the best ways for him to navigate. You may also consider installing special global positioning system (GPS) technology that allows you to monitor where your teen goes - and how fast he gets there - from afar.
• The usual suspects: It almost (but not quite) goes without saying, but your contract should explicitly discuss all the basic "duh" factors involved in proper driving: no drinking, drugs, speeding, talking on mobiles or not wearing seatbelts. You should also discuss your expectations for car maintenance - who pays for things like new tyres or fuel.