California Highway Patrol officers are providing the Santa Clarita Valley community with a chance to have a conversation with their teen drivers during National Teen Driver Safety Week.

During the week of Oct. 16-22, National Teen Driver Safety Week is there to bring awareness of the topic to families to ensure driver safety and different learning opportunities for young drivers.

“National Teen Driver Safety Week is about bringing awareness to the well-being of newly-licensed teen drivers who are hitting America’s roadways,” said Rhonda Craft, director of the Office of Traffic Safety. “By encouraging cautious and responsible driving habits among teens, we are helping to create safer roadways for everyone.”

The CHP has been able to develop many driving programs for teens and their families, such as Start Smart and Every 15 Minutes. The California Highway Patrol has launched the Start Smart app available for download to help those learning to drive grasp the skills necessary to earn their California driver license.

Every 15 Minutes is an event focused on high school juniors and seniors that challenges them to think of the repercussions that can come from drinking and driving and the effects that it can have on students’ families, friends and their own futures.

The California Highway Patrol states that inexperience is the leading cause of teen collisions, and they encourage parents and guardians of teens to observe their driving skills while also enlightening them on five of the most deadly behaviors of new drivers, which include speeding, alcohol consumption, driving without seat belts, distracted driving and carrying extra passengers.

“Even as teens become more independent, their families still have a strong influence,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Young people whose parents or guardians set firm rules for driving typically engage in less risky driving behaviors and are involved in fewer collisions.”

During this week especially, the CHP encourages families to teach and talk more to their young drivers to inspire them in taking driver safety seriously.

For any information on teaching and talking to teen drivers about driver safety, please contact the local California Highway Patrol at 661-294-5540.