Teen and new driver workshop kit

At a glance

• Who: new and soon-to-be drivers, 15–20, and parents
• Time: 60 minutes (a 30-minute version is marked ⏱)
• Group size: 8 to 40
• You need: a screen or phones with internet, masking tape, a tape measure or 100-ft rope, printed pledge cards and parent handouts (below)

Agenda

1. 0:00 Warm-up poll (5 min) ⏱ Ask: “How far does a car travel in the time it takes to read a text at highway speed?” Take guesses in car lengths. Write them down.
2. 0:05 Eyes off the road (10 min) ⏱ Open the eyes-off-the-road simulator at 55 mph, “reading or sending a text.” Compare with the guesses. Then run the hallway text activity below.
3. 0:15 Stopping distance (15 min) ⏱ Use the stopping distance simulator. Groups predict stopping distance at 25, 45 and 65 mph, then on ice. Tape out the 25 mph answer on the floor or parking lot.
4. 0:30 The three big risks (10 min) Night driving, teen passengers and speed. Use the fun facts below; ask what makes each harder for new drivers.
5. 0:40 What to do after a crash (10 min) Walk through the after-crash checklist below. Role-play: one student is the driver, one the other driver, one the officer.
6. 0:50 Pledge and family agreement (10 min) ⏱ Students write one personal rule on a pledge card. Parents and teens take home the family driving agreement.

Activity 1: the hallway text

1. Tape a start line. A volunteer walks at normal pace while reading a 25-word text aloud from a phone. A spotter walks beside them.
2. Mark where they finish. Measure it.
3. Ask: if walking covered that much ground, what does 55 mph cover? Check the simulator.

Safety: clear space only, a spotter beside the walker, never near stairs, doors or traffic.

Activity 2: the human stopping line

1. Outdoors in an empty lot (or a long hallway), one student is the “car” at the start line.
2. The group predicts where a car at 25 mph would stop. Mark guesses with tape.
3. Measure the simulator’s answer from the start line and mark it. The reaction part, before braking even begins, usually surprises everyone.

Discussion questions

• Which distractions are hardest to resist? What could you set up before you start the car?
• Why do passengers raise the risk for new drivers? What could a good passenger do?
• What would you do if a friend who had been drinking offered you a ride?
• What’s one rule you’d want your family to agree on?

After a crash: the 6-step checklist

1. Stop. Check for injuries and call 911 if anyone is hurt.
2. Move to safety if you can; turn on hazard lights.
3. Call the police and get the report number.
4. Exchange names, phone numbers, insurance and plates. Don’t argue about fault.
5. Take photos of the vehicles, the scene and any injuries.
6. Tell a parent, see a doctor for any pain, and report the crash to your insurer.

In Michigan, your own auto insurance pays medical bills after a crash regardless of fault. See the first 30 days after a crash.

Printables

Print this kit

Michigan notes

• Michigan bars drivers from holding or manually using a phone while driving. See the hands-free law.
• Drivers and front seat passengers must wear seat belts; passengers 13 to 15 must be buckled anywhere in the car. See the seat belt law.

Outside Michigan, swap in your state’s rules. Free to copy and adapt; please credit “Road Safety Academy, Grove and Associates PLC.”