Editor's note: Sheriff Jack Parker's column will be a regular feature in Hometown News, appearing on the first Friday of each month. His next column will be published in the Aug. 7 edition.

Are you worried about the safety of your teen driver? There are a few things we can do as parents that can make a world of difference and improve the chances of our children safely getting through their most challenging driving years.

We recommend that parents remain very involved in their teen's daily lives, especially when they begin driving. It is a natural progression for a teenager to feel a new sense of freedom once they receive their driver's license, and especially if they have their own vehicle. It is easy for us as parents to be proud of their growth and accomplishments. We want us to trust our children, especially when they earn our trust with good grades and good behavior. Unfortunately, we all know, bad things can happen to good kids.

What is important to remember is teens do not have the years of driving experience that is necessary to be "good" drivers. Experience is what makes us better drivers. As adults and as experienced drivers, we know that our experience is what we draw from to make that "split second" decision every time we have to swerve out of someone's way without causing an accident. Our experience is what we draw from to keep from hitting the driver in front of us who is slamming on his brakes, or to not take a curve too fast, or handle rainy conditions, or heavy traffic. Our experience guides us anytime we have to assess a situation and make a judgment in seconds. In many cases, it is our experience that prevents us from overreacting to a given situation and making a bad situation worse. Our new teen drivers just don't have the experience they need yet.

What makes it even more challenging for our teens today is all of the new technology, like cell phones. Unfortunately, many teens do everything while driving except concentrate on driving itself. They use their cell phones to talk with friends and read and send text messages. Most of us would have great difficulty texting a friend and driving, even though we have extensive driving experience. Imagine how impossible it is send and receive text messages while driving without experience. It is an accident waiting to happen ... literally.

Many teenagers have an automobile accident during their first two years of driving. Parents need to instill constant awareness and good judgment with their teenage drivers. We don't want to wait until after something terrible happens to be proactive on this topic.

It is appropriate to restrict phone use in any form while driving. Even "hands-free" phones may give you a false sense of security. Many deadly accidents occur when a teen reaches for a phone to answer a call or dials a number. They must take their eyes off of the road and their hand off of the steering wheel to answer or dial the phone. Teens underestimate how fast bad things happen. The best rule regarding phones is "no phone use" while driving, even if the phone is hands-free. Even the distraction of a ringing phone is dangerous, as it will cause your teen's attention to be diverted to see who is calling. So tell your children to keep their phone in their pocket or purse and return phone calls only after they have successfully parked their car.

Please consider a written contract with your teen that promises no drinking and driving, no phone use while driving and requires the wearing of seatbelts for all passengers.

Your sheriff's office is now offering several programs to improve teen drivers' skills and knowledge.

S.T.O.P.P.E.D. is a program that places a decal on your family vehicle which allows a deputy sheriff or police officer to contact parents if a Teen driver is stopped for a traffic infraction.

SHERIFF'S TEEN CHALLENGE is a two day hands-on and classroom training program taught by Deputy Sheriffs to equip Teen drivers with the skills necessary to avoid collisions and injuries.

DRIVER SIMULATORS are used to enhance teens' skills and each simulator is programmed with 12 driving lessons. The simulators are available for use at special events and local high schools.

For more information on Teen Driving programs, please visit www.BrevardSheriff.com or call the program coordinator, Lori Chabot, at (321) 633-8446.

Together, we can keep our children safe. It is an honor to serve as your sheriff.

Jack Parker is the sheriff of Brevard County.