Is your teenager's life worth two hours of your time?

What is one of the scariest times for parents and one of the most exciting times for a teen? A teen getting a driver's license.

What can you do as a parent to help protect and teach your teen? Plan on attending our free teen driving class Dec. 13.

P.R.I.D.E. (Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Error) is a free, two-hour course designed to help parents and their new drivers ages 14 to 16 learn what they need to do during the 40 hours of supervised practice driving time.

A parent or guardian is required to attend with each teen driver. The class is sponsored by Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute, an outreach of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety; Hall County Cooperative Extension; Gainesville State College; and Gainesville/Hall County Safe Kids Coalition.

PRIDE has reached more than 7,800 families in Georgia since the program began in 2003. Pre-registration by e-mail is required. Please send your contact information to me at dwilburn@uga.edu no later than Thursday. Or, call the Hall County Cooperative Extension office at 770-535-8290.

Here are some facts on teen crashes:

n 1 in 5 teens will have a crash during the first year of driving.

n 36 percent of teens who own a cell phone admit to texting while driving.

n Teens are 187 times more likely to be involved in a crash if three or more teens are in the car.

n 60 percent of Georgia's fatalities, ages 16-20, were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

n 61 percent of teenage passenger deaths occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager.

n Georgia is ranked fifth nationally in teen fatalities.

The program addresses driver attitude, knowledge and behavior rather than a technical hands-on driver training course. While completion of this course may reduce insurance rates, it does not count toward the required 40 hours of supervised driving practice.

In a recent survey, no parents reported that they felt adequately prepared to teach their teenager to drive. This course is designed to help fill this void. It will help parents and their new teen driver learn what they need to do during those 40 hours of driving time. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the risk of youth related car crashes.

PRIDE classes are held on a quarterly basis. The next class will be held in the winter. For more information visit www.ridesafegeorgia.org.

Traffic crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens. On average 200 Georgia teenagers lose their life in traffic crashes.

"If someone told you that there was one behavior most likely to lead to the premature death of your teen, wouldn't you do something about that?" — Anna Quindlen

Debbie Wilburn is county extension agent in family and consumer science with the Hall County Extension. Her Family Ties column appears in Sunday Life on the first Sunday of each month. Contact: 770-535-8290.