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Resources
Information about your state's rules for learner's permits and licenses is available from your local Department of Motor Vehicles office. That's also where you can obtain a copy of your state's driving manual. If you don't know the nearest DMV location, try the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) Web site: www.aamva.org. From there, you can find every DMV and state police Web site in the United States and Canada.
Additional information about state licensing rules, as well as graduated licensing programs, is available online from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Called Licensing Systems for Young Drivers, the Web page also explains the Institute's systems for rating those programs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains an excellent Web page on teen driving issues. The page, Latest on New Driver Issues, links to a host of reports by the agency's experts on the subject.
NHTSA also offers information about the national campaign to adopt graduated licensing in a booklet called Saving Teenage Lives: The Case for Graduated Driver Licensing. It provides basic facts on graduated-licensing laws, how this approach saves lives, and success stories from the United States and other countries. It also offers a model law, as well as ideas on how to generate support for similar policies in your state. It can be ordered online at www.nhtsa.dot.gov or by calling 1-888-DASH-2-DOT. Ask for publication DOT HS 808-801 (Item# 2P1043).
Help in the fight against drinking and driving is available from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The organization can be reached by calling 1-800-GET-MADD or through the MADD Web site: www.madd.org.
Additional information, as well as opportunities for teen involvement, is available from SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). SADD can be reached by phone at 1-877-SADD-INC, on the Web at www.sadd.org, or by e-mailing info@sadd.org. SADD has a "Contract for Life" between teens and adults that can be useful in the driving-instruction process. The teen promises to forego the use of alcohol or drugs, not to ride with anyone who has been drinking or using, always to wear a seat belt, and not to hesitate to call home whenever an unsafe situation has arisen. The adult promises, among other things, to provide safe and sober transportation home whenever needed.
Information on vehicle shopping is available from the following sources:
Buying a Safer Car, a brochure that explains government safety tests and lists test results for many popular models; and New Car Safety Features, a brochure that explains the newest advances, are available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Call 1-888-DASH-2-DOT, or find them on the Web at www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
Shopping for a Safer Car, a brochure that rates vehicle crash-worthiness based on real-world insurance claims, is available from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Call 703-247-1500, or find it online at www.highwaysafety.org.
The Car Book and The Used Car Book, both by Jack Gillis and both updated annually, are available in bookstores or from Amazon.com. Jack is Director of Public Affairs for the Consumer Federation of America and has reported on consumer issues for NBC's "Today Show." He is widely recognized as the most trustworthy car-buying expert in the business, and his books are quite consumer-friendly.
And CarBuzzard.com, a lively site for car lovers produced by my friend and colleague John Matras, covers everything automotive with wit and style.
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