When your teen obtains his or her driver’s license, your response is probably normal to that of any other parent: it’s nerve-wracking. Imagining your teen driving on their own or with passengers may include visions of unsafe driving habits. While you can’t control what your teen does while they’re driving on their own, you can speak to them about safe driving habits. By having a proper conversation where you can explain important information and tips but not placing blame or distrust, your teen will feel a sense of responsibility. Trust that your teen will make smart choices upon learning about the following safe driving tips.
Buckle Up
First and foremost, every driver must buckle up. Before even putting the car in drive, make sure your teen makes a habit of buckling first. This provides safety in the case of an accident and while suddenly stopping at a light and screeching on the brakes. Any passenger or passengers your teen has in the car with them should also be buckled up.
Obey Speed Limits, Stop Signs, and Traffic Lights
Secondly, your teen must understand the importance of obeying speed limits, stop signs, and traffic lights. They are all placed accordingly for the safety of drivers and pedestrians alike. Talk to your teen about how ignoring these three important aspects of driving can be dangerous and even deadly. Slowing down at yellow lights, stopping and thoroughly looking for other cars at stop signs, looking for cars running lights when the light turns green, and always being on the lookout for pedestrians are key safe driving tips your teen should be aware of and follow.
Be Wary of Winter Weather Conditions
Another part of driving is thinking about the weather and adjusting accordingly. When it’s warm out, driving is the easiest and safest. When it’s raining, using windshield wipers and being aware of puddles, flooding, and sliding cars is important. When it’s snowing and icy, driving slowly and carefully is the best bet for safety purposes. Fully brushing off snow and de-icing your vehicle before driving is important for both the car and your teen’s ability to see while driving. Taking extra caution and watching out for other drivers and cars on the road in winter weather is essential for your teen’s safety.
Weather is one of the four main causes of auto body damage, alongside high-speed collisions, negligence, and fender benders. Therefore, weather conditions are important when it comes to driving safely. Being aware of what certain weather conditions do to the roads and vehicles are key for your teen, especially when they first start driving and aren’t used to driving in hazardous conditions yet.</p.
Don’t Allow Distractions in the Vehicle
Distracted driving can be deadly. Between cell phones, music, food, drinks, and other passengers in a vehicle, there are so many ways your teen can be distracted in this day and age. Talk to your teen about how each of these items can become distractions as well as cause accidents and other dangerous situations. Advise your teen to limit the number of passengers in their car, wait to eat and drink until they’re done driving, keep the music low, and keep their cell phone out of sight while driving to avoid feeling compelled to check notifications or answer text messages.
Watch Your Surroundings at All Times
Did you know that the driver of a passenger vehicle is more than three times more likely to be responsible for a crash than the driver of a large truck? As your teen drives on the highways, which are often littered with tractor-trailers, it’s important they understand to keep their surroundings in check. Watching out for cars changing lanes without looking, blinkers, and cars running lights are important because they can allow your teen to avoid potential accidents.
Know What to Do in the Case of an Emergency
Finally, does your teen know what to do in the case of an emergency? Having all of the necessary materials and items in their car at all times is important. These items may include a first aid kit, a blanket, a jacket, an ice scraper, a snow brush, a tire pressure gauge, a spare tire, and insurance company and emergency phone numbers.
There were 1,520 tornadoes in the United States in 2019. Depending on what region of the country you and your family live in, does your teen understand when to avoid driving and when to stay home? Tornado warnings, dangerous thunder and lightning storms, hailstorms, and snowstorms are some examples of instances where staying home and not driving to unnecessary places is safest.
As a parent, your teen’s safety is one of the most important things. Share these safe driving tips with your teen, get car insurance for new drivers, and make sure they understand the responsibilities and hazards that come with operating a vehicle. While you can’t control what they do when they’re driving alone, you can assure them that following these tips will ensure their safety as much as possible. Providing important information and trusting your child to take it into action is what parenting is all about.
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