Letting go of your college-bound teen and trusting them to make the right decisions while away at college can be very nerve-wracking. As a parent you want your teen to experience independence and forge their own way in the world. At the same time you may struggling to let your college-bound teen make their own decisions and trusting them to make safe decisions for themselves when they go out with friends.
Before your student leaves for college, remind them of common safety tips one more time. This last reminder may be enough to reinforce the need for your teen to be aware of the prevalent dangers and to know what to do to avoid getting in danger in the first place.
License, Registration, and Proof of Insurance; Please
Even the most careful of college students sometimes find themselves on the wrong side of traffic laws. When a group of students head out for a night of fun, your teen should remember to go with friends who have valid licenses, registered cars, and active insurance policies.
These safeguards will come in handy if the group gets pulled over by the cops or gets questioned by law enforcement about the car’s ownership. Without this proper paperwork available, everyone in the car, even your student, could be detained at the police station.
The Dangers of Drunk Driving Friends
With the parents away, your college student will indeed play. During school breaks, your student may decide to take a trip to Florida or other popular Spring Break locations. Many college students view reveling at alcohol-fueled parties to be a rite of passage that they are more than happy to honor. When your college student heads out to these parties, you should remind him or her of the dangers of getting in cars driven by drunken friends.
In fact, the CDC reported in 2010, more than 2,700 teens died in drunk driving accidents in 2010. Even if he or she is too drunk to drive, your teen would be better off calling for a taxi or walking home than getting in the car with drunk friends and possibly becoming a statistic among the rising number of teen drunk driving victims.
Encourage your teen to keep their friends abreast of possible mishaps. You don’t want to find out after the trip is over that you have to hire Steinger, Iscoe & Green to handle a red-light ticket or accident charge that your teen got while using your vehicle.
Hotel and Fire Safety
Many college students take overnight trips to see concerts, attend plays, or enjoy other cultural events. If your student plans to stay the night at a hotel while away from school, they should keep fire safety tips in mind. Most hotels are very safe and mindful of their guests’ personal safety.
However, fires in hotels still occur with alarming frequency. Many fire department lack ladders and equipment that can extend beyond the 7th floor of most high-rise hotels. For their safety and your peace of mind, you should urge your collegiate to stay in a room within the first 7 floors of the hotel.
Your teen’s personal safety should be a priority for them while their away at college. These years at college, however, can invite innumerable chances to have fun and learn how to be independent.
As much as you may want to safeguard your young adult while they’re away, you must educate and then trust him or her to be aware of the dangers that could lie in wait at every party or social event. You can remind your teen of these dangers and tell your student what to do to keep themselves safe while at college.
With children of her own, Giovanna O’Neal shares these helpful steps to aid parents with keeping their teens aware of helpful preventive tidbits of knowledge. Steinger, Iscoe & Green is on hand in the Miami, Florida area to help any parent or teen with handling traffic ticket or accident issues.
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