MetLife Auto & Home Offers Parents and Teens Support to Comply with Tennessee's New Graduated Licensing Law
GALLATIN, Tenn.--July 23, 2001--Tennessee legislators have strengthened the existing licensing laws to curb the number of automobile injuries and deaths involving teens. Effective July 1, teen drivers must complete a period of in-the-car training with an adult before they can get behind the wheel as fully licensed drivers. To help teens and parents meet the new legal requirements, MetLife Auto & Home has announced a series of initiatives --including free handbooks and videos.
MetLife Auto & Home helps teens establish good driving habits during their first years on the road by providing a 16-page handbook, reviewed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, entitled "Teaching Your Teen to Drive (Without Driving Each Other Crazy)," and a video for families with teenagers, entitled "Young Drivers: The High Risk Years." Both provide parents with important guidelines to follow before their teenagers get behind the wheel and emphasize the importance that preparation and planning can play in defusing potentially stressful situations. Both are available free to the public by calling 1-800-638-5433 (1-800-MET-LIFE).
"Over 7,000 teens lose their lives on America's roadways each year. MetLife Auto & Home is working diligently to partner with parents to `put the brakes' on these numbers," said Cathy Rein, President and CEO of MetLife Auto & Home. "Many parents and teens may find the prospect of spending more driving-time together disconcerting. Our material provides parents and teenagers with the tools they need, and serves as a strong reminder for teens to drive with the utmost caution," added Dave Murray, Director of the Tennessee Independent Agent organization for MetLife Auto & Home.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle fatalities are the leading cause of death among teens aged 15-18. To confront this alarming statistic, 44 states have instituted some type of graduated driver's licensing law. The laws usually involve a "tiered" approach to teenage licensing, and Tennessee's new law is no exception. Along with the requirement that teens and adults spend time together as pilot and co-pilot, restrictions are placed on night driving and the number of passengers a teen can transport in a vehicle at one time.
MetLife Auto & Home, an affiliate of MetLife, Inc , is one of the nation's leading personal lines property and casualty companies with more than 2.6 million policies in force. For more information about the wide variety of insurance products MetLife Auto & Home provides in all fifty states and DC, contact your local MetLife Auto & Home provider or authorized Independent Agent or visit MetLife's website at www.metlife.com. In Texas, home coverage is provided by Metropolitan Lloyds Insurance Company of Texas.
MetLife Auto & Home is a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates, Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates, Warwick, RI
Editor's Note: For additional information regarding the state specific graduated license laws, please visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) website at www.hwysafety.org/safety%5Ffacts/state%5Flaws/licensing_systems.pdf, page 5 or contact Anne Lipsitz at (401) 827-2021 for a copy.