On Tuesday, Dec. 17, 7:30 – 9 p.m., Beth El Temple in West Hartford will present “NOT SO FAST: Parenting Your Teen through the Dangers of Driving” with guest speaker Tim Hollister, a Bloomfield parent who lost his teenage son in a car crash in 2006.

In 2007, following his son’s death, Hollister served on the Connecticut task force that overhauled the state’s teen driver law, and began speaking and writing about topics largely neglected in the resources available to parents: i.e., why teen driving is so dangerous; what parents’ attitudes should be; and what parents can do proactively, day-by-day, to prevent the most dangerous situations before their teens get behind the wheel.

“Most resources available to parents of teen drivers focus on how to drive a car,” says Hollister, the author of NOT SO FAST, a book that pulls together evidence-based advice on best practices for every trip a teen takes – covering topics such as texting and distraction, impaired driving, and how to handle car keys, passengers and curfews. The book also includes information on how delayed brain development in teens affects driving, why “Driver’s Ed” courses do not produce safe drivers, when teens should start driving, the risks of joyriding, and when parents need to say “No.”

Hollister’s book is derived from his national blog, From Reid’s Dad (www.fromreidsdad.org), which, in 2010, earned him the National Public Service Award from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Hollister’s talk is part of Beth El’s Hearing Men’s Voices Series, an educational series. The program, including dessert, is free and open to the public. Membership in the Beth El Men’s Club is not required.

For reservations call Joe Springut at (860) 676-9878 or email dr.eyesJoe@gmail.com. For more information call (860) 233-9696 or visit www.bethelwesthartford.org.

Beth El Temple is located at 2626 Albany Ave. in West Hartford.