Byrnes Mill Police are trying to keep teen drivers safe and educate their parents about Missouri’s Graduated Driver’s License Law.
The Police Department will hold a “First Impact Keeping Your Teen Driver Safe Seminar” from 5:30-7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19, at Byrnes Mill City Hall, 141 Osage Executive Circle.
The free seminar is open to parents, teens, grandparents and other community members.
Allyn Workman and Carol Hoormann, health educators from First Impact Mo, will speak at the event.
The seminar is being held to raise awareness about teen driving risks. Teen drivers are at a higher risk for crashes than any other age group and are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash their first 90 days of driving independently, Byrnes Mill Police reported.
In addition, the seminar will provide information about the Graduated Driver License Law, which includes a three-step licensing system intended to decrease the factors that lead to crashes among inexperienced drivers.
The first step of the system is the instructional permit followed by the intermediate license and the under 21 full driver license.
“There are a lot of nuances to this law and it’s important for parents to understand when their kids can drive,” said Byrnes Mill Police Chief Frank T. Selvaggio.
For example, young people with an intermediate driver’s license may not drive alone between 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. except when they are going to a school activity, a job or are having an emergency, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue’s website. If teens with intermediate licenses must drive during those early morning hours, they must drive with a licensed driver 21 years or older.
Also, during the first six months of driving, teens may not have more than one passenger younger than 19 who is not a family members in a vehicle they are driving. After the first six months, drivers may not operate a motor vehicle with more than three people younger than 19 and are not members of their immediate family.
“The Graduated Driver License rules are still fairly new and it’s important parents know the laws because insurance can go up if teens start getting tickets,” Selvaggio said.
According to the Missouri Driving School website, the GDL was enacted in 2001 and has helped reduce the number of teenage accidents in Missouri by 40 percent over the past 20 years.
This is the first time the Byrnes Mill Police Department has held a First Impact seminar. However, Selvaggio hopes this event will be held on an annual or bi-annual basis in the future.
“I hope attendees will learn some new things and will help keep their teens safe,” he said.