The mission of SWERVE Driver Training is to change the way people drive through excellent driver’s education and active community engagement. Starting Oct. 20, SWERVE will offer its new drivers program at four South Sound locations, including Covington.

What’s most important for parents to do to prepare their teen to be a safe and responsible driver? Practice with your teen. The more consistent practice your teen gets, the better driver he or she will become. Any time behind the wheel helps, but we recommend more purposeful practice. Choose a skill, like righthand turns, to focus on during each practice session. Having a goal will help focus your teen and give you both a sense of accomplishment.

Why are so many teens injured or killed in car crashes? Studies show that distractions, like talking on a cell phone or driving with friends in the car, are by far the number one contributing factor to teen car crashes. Distractions and inexperience are a deadly combination.

What can parents do to keep their teen safe on the road? Be a good role model. Drive the way you’d like your teen to drive.

Practice with your teen as much as possible – a minimum of two hours a week in the six months leading up to their licensing exam.

Be positive during practice sessions. By affirming what your teen’s doing right, you enforce good driving habits.

Consider placing temporary restrictions on your teen’s driving starting off, like no driving in the dark. The first 30 days of driving is when teens are at the highest risk for being in a car collision.

Talk to your teen about the risks of unsafe driving.

What are common misconceptions parents have about teen driving? Many parents assume that once their teen has a driver’s license, their son or daughter is as competent a driver as anyone on the road. Driver’s education is an ongoing process and parents should continue to monitor and fine tune their teen’s driving skills.

Parents often believe their teen is the responsible one and only other teens drive recklessly. Have your teen demonstrate his or her responsibility behind-the-wheel. Reward safe driving with greater driving privileges.

Distractions, not impairment due to alcohol or drugs, is the greatest contributor to teen car crashes.

What should parents consider when choosing a driving school? Ask questions. How does the driving school train their instructors? Do instructors receive more training hours than the minimum required by the state? When was the school’s curriculum last updated? Talk to fellow parents; find out which schools have a good reputation.

What is Washington’s graduated licensing process? Graduated licensing is a way to ease teens into the responsibilities of driving by placing temporary restrictions on their first year of driving. These include no driving between1 a.m. and 5 a.m. or with friends in the car except with a licensed adult over 21. After a year of ticket and collision-free driving, the restrictions are lifted; otherwise they remain until the teen turns 18. Graduated licensing has shown to reduce the number of teen driving-related fatalities.

What can the community do to promote safe teen driving? Adults should emulate good driving. Teens will follow suit. Participate in Drive Nice Day (driveniceday.org) every Thursday before Memorial Day by picking up a Drive Nice window cling at your local Department of Licensing office.

Arthur Van Dyke is the training manager at SWERVE Driver Training. Jake Breece, who lives in the Covington area, is a former Tahoma School District bus driver and a certified driving instructor. SWERVE offers two free presentations on safe teen driving – one geared to teenagers and the other to parents. More information is available at www.goswerve.com.