'Rookie Driver' Designation Taking Off Nationally SPRING LAKE, MI – Nov. 12, 2007 -- Corinne Fortenbacher turned her nervous energy about her teenage son’s driving into a thriving business and a national educational effort to help all drivers focus on the issue of teen driving safety. Fortenbacher, and her 16-year-old son Austin, started the Internet company RookieDriver.Net in 2006 after their own bad experience, shortly after Austin got his driver's permit. "A semi truck came up behind us in a construction zone and was right on our tail, and Austin was looking in the rearview mirror and I said 'It's OK, you're doing everything fine,'" Fortenbacher recalls. "Then the guy beeped his horn at us, and Austin turned around, over reacted a bit and nearly went off the road. It was obvious the semi driver had no idea he was directly behind an inexperienced teen driver and if he had known, he would have surely been more patient and given us more room.” Once safe at home, Fortenbacher looked online at available ‘new driver’ and ‘student driver’ magnets to place on the family car to alert others of Austin’s novice driving status. But nothing they found was cool enough, in Austin’s opinion, to use. The answer seemed simple. Mom and son worked together to create a more teen-friendly alternative to existing products on the market. The result is their popular Rookie Driver designation. Fortenbacher says parent concerns and the fact that over one million teens are involved in auto accidents each year have helped spread the word. Mentions on NBC News, Newsweek magazine, the Chicago Tribune, parenting web sites, and dozens of regional media outlets have helped grow the company considerably, which currently distributes its’ products in 45 states and Canada. Source – RookieDriver.Net Austin says the likable phrase and cool design makes the magnet on the car less awkward for new drivers. “And because we created a logo to go with the Rookie Driver term, drivers recognize the ‘symbol’ and quickly realize it designates that a new driver is behind the wheel.” “Much more needs to be done to prevent teen crashes, the leading cause of death for young people in the U.S.,” Fortenbacher says. "No one can eliminate accidents, but parents can take every safety measurement possible." The Rookie Driver website provides many teen driving safety links and a blog for parents and teens to share safety tips. About RookieDriver.Net Rookie Driver.Net’s products are designed by teens and can be found at http://www.RookieDriver.Net. The firm has grown from a single product, launched in 2006, to a leading online provider of new driver safety aids. Visit their teen driving safety blog at http://rookiedriver.wordpress.com/. Or, visit Rookie Driver.Net's Media Room at: http://www.rookiedriverintraining.com/rookiedriver-news.html Contact: Corinne Fortenbacher, Co-Founder RookieDriver.Net 888-285-7875 Email: Corinne@RookieDriver.Net Web: www.RookieDriver.Net