Parents as Driving Partners

Columbia County joins Putnam, Orange and Dutchess Counties in their unveiling of their ‘Parents as Driving Partners’ program.

Columbia County Clerk Holly Tanner, Sheriff Don Krapf, Stop DWI Coordinator John Gallo and Youth Bureau Executive Director Daniel J Grandinetti unveiled a new initiative, Parent as Driving Partners, at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 12th, 2023, in front of the Columbia County Clerk’s office.

This new initiative emphasizes the role of parents in promoting safe driving habits in teens.  The Youth Bureau has developed a booklet that contains some basic guidelines to help parents in their role as driving partners and includes a Parent/Teen Driving Agreement.  This agreement outlines the responsibilities of both parents and teens in promoting safe driving.

Crashes are still the leading cause of teen deaths and 6 out of 10 teen crashes involve driver distraction. One-third of deaths among 13 to 19 year-olds occur in motor vehicle crashes and 16-year-olds have a higher crash rate than drivers of any other age.

The Columbia County Department of Motor Vehicles will be distributing this booklet to parents of teens applying for their learning permit and asking that they sign the Parent/Teen Driving Agreement.