NETS and Liberty Mutual Insurance offer free electronic parent-teen driving guide

To help parents coach teens in developing the skills to be safe drivers, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) and Liberty Mutual Insurance have joined forces to release an electronic edition of The Novice Driver's Road Map: An 8-Step Guide for Parents® (eNDRM). The new guide is available now as a free download from the NETS website. The eNDRM provides an easy-to-follow curriculum for parents or adult coaches to guide teens in the practice needed to become safe, focused drivers and licensed in nearly all states. The interactive electronic guide is built around a series of eight drives that increase in complexity. Each includes a checklist of practice skills along with a set of detailed instructions and space to add notes. The practice sessions progress from driving in an empty parking lot to driving at night and in inclement weather. A log is included to track practice hours that updates with the time accrued after each entry, a useful tool to assist with graduated driver licensing requirements."NETS is grateful to Liberty Mutual for providing the resources to re-release The Novice Drivers Road Map® in an updated, electronic format," said Jack Hanley, executive director of NETS. "This support enables NETS to make the publication available to parents everywhere free-of-charge." Since its initial introduction, more than 50,000 printed copies of The Novice Driver's Road Map® have been distributed, primarily through employers. "Over the past decade, Liberty Mutual has partnered with several national organizations to provide parents with the best available tools to help their teens become safer drivers," said Amy Leddy, Senior Category Manager of Corporate Procurement for Liberty Mutual Insurance. "Our teen driving research shows that parents have a very strong influence over their teen's behavior behind the wheel, both by having open dialogue and modeling safe driving. Tools such as The Novice Drivers Road Map® give parents another opportunity to have a conversation about safe driving habits and to stop unsafe behaviors before they take hold." Developed and reviewed by a team of experts and tested by teens and parents, The Novice Driver's Road Map® has been updated since its original release to include information on the latest challenges facing young drivers, specifically the dangers of distracted driving. A Coach's Game Book™ is included that provides tips on how to be a good role model, establishing rules and other vital information on the learning-to-drive process. Liberty Mutual and NETS worked with Standard Register to create a web enabled, electronic version of the Road Map and Game Book. The eNDRM is available for free download via the NETS website at http://trafficsafety.org/e-novice-drivers-road-map-available.