Frequently Asked Questions
What can I find on this website?
This website has information presented through animated videos, about the risks teen drivers face when first licensed (including common myths and facts about teen driving); how parents can help their teen be a safe driver; and the Checkpoints interactive Parent-Teen Driving Agreement that parents can use to set clear driving privileges, rules, and consequences with their teens. Once an agreement has been created and you have completed both a pre- and posttest, you will have the opportunity to save/print the agreement and a Checkpoints completion certificate. Some schools accept a copy of the teen’s agreement and certificate to then award the student with an incentive (if available), such as a school parking lot pass. The website also has state-specific, county-level teen crash risk for selected states, as well as resources for parents including information links to state teen driving laws in every state.
Does Checkpoints work?
Checkpoints research has shown that teens who have a parent-teen driving agreement during the first months got fewer tickets and reported fewer risky driving behaviors (like speeding, tailgating, turning fast, unsafe lane changes, cutting in front of other vehicles, going through yellow-red lights, etc.)
Why should I register for Checkpoints?
After you learn about teen driving risks and then register, you can easily set up a personalized Parent-Teen Driving Agreement to help you set clear expectations, rules, and consequences for your teen’s driving. You will be able to set future dates for reviewing and updating your agreement. At each review, you and your teen can decide if they are ready for more driving privileges. Registration will also allow you to obtain a completion certificate once all Checkpoints requirements have been met and the posttest has been completed.
How do I use this website?
The website gives you information about teen driving safety and allows you to create an interactive driving agreement with your teen. It will take, on average, about 45 minutes to an hour to work through the site. Below is the pathway you will follow through the site:
1. Start by selecting your state on the Checkpoints Home page to begin moving through the site’s learning path. After you take a pretest and learn about rates of teen crash, through a series of animated videos you’ll learn about the risks of teen driving, the parent’s role, and about how and why the parent-teen driving agreement is created. If you live in Tennessee or Kentucky, your specific path will contain state-specific crash statistics and a video before you learn about teen driving risks.
2. After you’ve watched the series of brief animated videos that highlight specific risks of teen driving, followed by videos that focus on the parent-teen driving agreement, you’ll be able Register and set up an agreement with your teen.
3. You will then take a posttest, after which you will be able to print or download a completion certificate and as well as your completed agreement to share it with your teen’s school for an incentive, if available.
4. After you have printed/saved your Checkpoints certificate at the end of the posttest, you will be directed back to the Parent Resources page of this site or your state’s page with links to additional resources.
5. You will receive an emailed reminder during the future weeks of each of your 4 Checkpoints agreement review dates.
State-Specific Checkpoints Programs
If you live in Kentucky or Tennessee, please follow the link from the Checkpoints Home page to the page designed for your state, or select the link for all other states. Follow the required path through the site, that includes a pretest and posttest. Once all requirements are met, you will have access to a Checkpoints certificate that your teen’s school may accept as a requirement for an incentive such as a school parking lot pass.