By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

Forget drugs, pregnancy or all the other dangers that teenagers face in a dangerous world these days. You want to know what parents really worry about when their children reach a certain age? Driving, that's what.

A survey released last week finds that three out of 10 parents of teenagers put driving safety as their top concern. Overwhelmingly, parents admit their teenagers engage in high-risk behavior such as driving at night or with other teens in the car.

The survey asked 400 parents of 15- to 18-year-olds to list multiple concerns. Thirty-nine percent said driving safety was one of their top worries. That was higher than 31 percent who named drug abuse or 17 percent who named alcohol abuse.

Twenty-five percent worried most about car crashes, far higher than those who named pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (13 percent) and violent crime (11 percent).

In all, 59 percent of parents said driving-related issues were their No. 1 concern.

Nationwide statistics show that car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. And the dangers go up at night, when more than half of teen crashes occur (even though most teen driving occurs during the day). The risks also increase when other teens are present: 63 percent of all fatal teen crashes occur with more than one teenager in the car.

The survey was conducted by the Chrysler Group, which is developing a research-based teen driving initiative called Road Ready Teens.

The program asks parents to enforce guidelines that would restrict teenagers from driving in the most dangerous circumstances, including at night (other than to and from work), with more than one other teenager in the car and (of course) when alcohol and drug use are involved.

(In Hawai'i, lawmakers have been trying for several years to pass a bill that would require all drivers under 18 to be accompanied by someone over 21 in the car between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. The measure appears to be headed for defeat again this session).

The Chrysler program also is pushing a nationwide system of graduated driver's licensing laws. Most states, including Hawai'i, have moved to some form of graduated licensing, but the program asks lawmakers to adopt a universal system that would include a learner's permit, a new driver level and a full driver level.

A Senate bill that essentially would create such a three-tier system is pending at the Legislature this session; it has been approved by the Senate transportation committee and referred to the judiciary committee.

The Road Ready Teen program also recommends a certified driver's education course and an additional 30 to 50 hours of supervised driving before a full license could be issued.

In Hawai'i, a law took effect two years ago that requires all drivers under age 18 to complete a mandatory driver's education program before taking a road test for their license. However, officials say that there is a long waiting list for the training sessions in most public schools, forcing teenagers to either take private lessons ($350 and up) or wait until they turn 18 to drive — which probably doesn't sound bad to a lot of parents.

Several bills at the Legislature this year attempt to address the problem, either by ordering the state to provide more driver's education classes or offering a tax rebate for parents who pay for private classes.

Mike Leidemann's Drive Time column runs Tuesdays. Reach him at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.