Parents can receive no worse news than to be told that a son or daughter has been killed in a car crash, but that is often a reality, as driving fatalities are the leading cause of death for 16- to 20-year-olds . In Connecticut in 2006, 14 teens died. Fifteen teens died in 2007, and 17 young lives have been lost already in 2008.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the state legislature have taken action that they hope will reverse this trend. Last November, Rell formed the Governor’s Task Force on Teen Safe Driving. The Task Force made recommendations adopted by the legislature. New, tougher teen driving laws will take affect Aug. 1, imposing tighter restrictions and tougher penalties on young drivers.

EASTCONN, with a host of like-minded local sponsors, held a forum at the Capitol Theater in Willimantic on June 18 to raise public awareness about teen driving and the new laws. Wayne Norman of WILI moderated the lively discussion about the changes that affect both teens and their parents.

The panelists included DMV Commissioner Robert Ward, who was up front about the new law: “This law is inconvenient for parents, we recognize that,” he said. “We need to change the mindset of what the beginning of driving is about.”

James MacPherson, of the American Automobile Association, stressed that it takes five years to develop the skills of a good driver. “Passing the test is only a beginning point. There is a misconception that you are now certified good to go anywhere,” he said.

Brendan Campbell, director of pediatric trauma at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, told the audience that the state’s new laws “allow teens to gain experience under circumstances of minimal risk.” The new laws limit who can be in a car with a new driver, impose a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., and prohibit any cell phone use, including hands-free devices.

Clinical psychologist Jack Thaw cited experiments that show that “using a hands-free device is equivalent to having three [alcoholic] drinks. They are not risk-free ,” he said. Thaw also described what he called the “Iceberg Effect.” This is when teens have “near misses” in their cars. “This translates into a sense of empowerment, where teens believe that they are immune from accidents.”

Panelist Taylor Jennett, a sophomore at Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, concurred. “Before I lost one of my friends, I never really paid attention to accidents,” she said. She now speaks at public forums about her experiences. “It hits audiences more [strongly] when there’s been a death in the community.”

Ward agreed that connecting to an emotion has a greater impact in reaching an audience. He believes the new laws can save lives but that “getting voluntary compliance is key.”

Campbell, a member of the Governor’s Task Force, said the biggest challenge the task force faced was how to legislate parental responsibility. Parents of new drivers will now have to take two hours of driver’s education. With the number of practice hours required for new drivers increasing from 20 to 40, it was stressed that parents should use those hours to expose their teen to a wide range of driving experiences and conditions, such as night driving and driving under adverse conditions.

Sherry Chapman, whose son Ryan was killed as a passenger in a teen accident , told parents to be aware of the risks. “Take the new laws seriously, and enforce them, because they do save lives,” Chapman said.

She also advised parents to have a safe driving talk with their children and develop a contract between teen and parent . Thaw added, “You need to have emotionally safe conversations with your teens where it’s not about winning or losing, but about safety and caring.”

Campbell recommended using such conversations to help a child develop emotional competencies. “Emotionally safe conversations can prepare them to resist dangerous circumstances in the future and to react appropriately,” Campbell said.

State Police Captain Frank Griffin warned that the majority of accidents are speed- and alcohol-related . “These new laws will usually only come into play after an accident or moving violation . We can’t stop somebody just because they look young,” he said. He said that with the new laws, penalties will increase . “But the worst part of my job is telling a parent that their son or daughter will not be coming home,” he said.

“Losing a child is a life-altering experience ,” Chapman told those in attendance . “The grief doesn’t go away.”