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Checkpoints Program Lets Parents Weigh in on Teen Driving

Published July 21, 2017

A new program is aimed at taking steps to keep teen drivers safe, and it’s a requirement for new WCS drivers who want a parking permit at their school. It’s called the Checkpoints Program, and new drivers of any age and their parent must participate in a one-hour education class before students are able to receive a parking pass.

“We are starting a conversation between a parent and a student,” said Summit High School Principal Sarah Lamb said. “They can decide what these rules look like in their household. We give them some statistics, and we want to give them some suggestions they can implement as a family.”

Safe driving has been a concern for Williamson County Schools.

“We started the Safe Driving Task Force because we’ve had so many student deaths in the last couple years,” Lamb said. “Our goal is to bring awareness to students who are driving about the importance of safety.”

As a member of the Safe Driving Task Force, Lamb walked 70 students and their parents through the Checkpoints Program requirements, including a contract on when and in what conditions a teen driver can be on the road. he high schools around Williamson County have been offering these classes during the summer.

Throughout the year, monthly Checkpoints classes will be offered as more students get their licenses. Students who already have their licenses will have to sign a social contract to make sure they also understand what safe driving entails.

“Anyone who is above the first year of driving will sign a social contract,” Lamb said. “We work with the Vanderbilt Project, the Nissan Project and some things with AAA. We do mock crashes, and we just want to continue with those as they get older.”

For the classes, both parents and students take a pretest and post-test to find out just how much they learned from the class.

“Driving is a very important privilege that you have, and we want to make sure we foster a relationship between the parent and student so they can be safe,” Lamb said.