Parents and Teens Behind the Wheel: Family Profiles


The Brown Family

Adrienne Brown has two teenagers living at home. One is driving and the other is about to get his learner's permit. But unlike many parents, Adrienne made both of them wait until well after their 16th birthdays to start to driving. Adrienne felt they weren't ready and withstood the pressure to put her kids behind the wheel at just 16-years-old.


The Coleman Family

This is a story about a family that takes teen driving seriously. David Coleman, Jonah and Amanda's dad, is an active member of a West Hartford, Connecticut organization called Community of Concern. Working through Community of Concern, David has pushed hard for bumper stickers to be placed on cars driven by newly licensed drivers, alerting police that teen passengers should not be on board. Not only do the Coleman's take graduated driving seriously, but 16- year-old Jonah will sign an agreement laying out his responsibilities as a driver and the consequences of breaking his side of the agreement.


The Cusick Family

David Cusick has seen it all in terms of teen driving. For many years, he was on the road working as a paramedic. He is now an emergency room nurse and sees what happens when teens get in trouble with cars. Even though David is torn about his 16-year-old daughter Erin getting her license, Erin now has her learner's permit. The struggle between parent and teen is clearly apparent. David knows all to well what can happen and is doing everything he can to keep Erin safe. Erin, like every 16-year-old, just wants her freedom.


The Esty Family

This family did everything right in terms of trying to keep Frasier Esty safe on the road. They obeyed graduated driving restrictions, enrolled in drivers education, and continue to restrict the number of kids in the car. But Frasier still had an horrendous crash shortly after he got his license. He totaled his car on Interstate 95 in the middle of the day. What did the family learn form this experience and what does it tells us about the frightening hazards of teen driving.


The Moltz Family

Dillon Moltz is a 16-year-old race car driver, and his dad is his crew chief. Dillon has been racing cars for years without being a licensed on-the-road driver. David and Dillon have an unusual relationship; they spend a huge amount of time together on the racing circuit. David taught Dillon to drive when he was nine, so unlike many kids, Dillon has had years and years of driving experience before getting his license. What advantage, if any, does Dillon have over most 16-year-olds?




CPTV is a media service of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network. Online at CPBN.org.
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