Do You Worry About Your Teen Driving?

For many parents, the thought of their teen on the open road with other drivers can lead to sleepless nights.

So that you do not lie awake all night worrying about what your teen’s next experience will be like, take a deep breath.

When you instill responsibility in your teen about what it means to have a license, things should be good.

From the time one gets a learner’s permit to their license, responsibility is a front seat passenger.

You’ve talked them through their driving, showed them how to be on the roads, prepped them with their theory test questions, and maybe even scoured driving test cancellations to see if you can get them an earlier test. You’ve done all that you can.

So, do you have enough faith in your teen’s driving abilities not to worry all the time?

Teaching Your Teenage the Rules of the Road

In getting your teen to be the best driver, show them that you do in fact have confidence in their abilities.

From their time in driver’s education classes to being out with a teacher, have they progressed? If not, what do they still need to work on to become a better driver for their safety and the safety of others?

One of the most important things to teach your teen about driving safety is distractions.

One way for you to do that is being a good role model when you in fact are driving with them in the vehicle. Many teens will end up emulating what their parents do when it comes to driving. As such, make sure they get the right message from you on avoiding distractions.

Among some of the more common teen distractions when driving early on in their lives:

• Cell phones – Using a cell phones to call or text a friend can have very negative consequences. In that second or two that your teen takes his or her eyes off of the road, tragedy can strike.
• Eating – Trying to focus on a hamburger or slice of pizza etc. while driving can also lead to an accident. Remind your teenager that they should save the eating for before or after their driving.
• Drinking – While you would like to think your teen will never take a sip of alcohol, stats tend to show otherwise. With that being the case, reinforce to your teen how important it is that they never drink and drive. Driving under the influence is extremely risky not just because your teen can face severe DUI penalties, which may require the hiring of Attorney Stewart Salwin or someone with similar expertise, but also because it can result in fatal accidents.
• Friends – As much as your teen loves their friends, the focus with friends in the vehicle needs to be the road. With that in mind, remind them that their friends can’t preoccupy them so that they lose focus of what is important. Goofing around in the vehicle can yet again prove a distraction that your teen may not be able to overcome.

As important as your child’s regular education, so too is making sure they learn the right way to drive.

That said you will play a major role in both educations.

As such, get it right early on so that you do not have many sleepless nights worrying about your teen driving.