ST. PAUL — Minnesota is about to require parents to take a bigger hand in their child’s driver training.

A new law taking effect Jan. 1 requires parents to supervise more hours and keep a log. Parents also will be encouraged to take an awareness class.

KSTP-TV reports teen drivers with their permits will now have to practice behind the wheel for 20 more hours, bringing the total time of supervised driving up to 50 hours. But if a parent attends a 90-minute class, the student only needs to reach 40 hours.

Of those practice hours, 15 must be driven at night, up from 10 currently.

Traffic crashes are the second leading killer of Minnesota teens, with inexperience one of the factors.