An understandably stressful part of having a child is preparing for the day they start driving on their own. It’s logical to want your teenager to be aware of the many dangers of the road.
With this in mind, here are four of the most important things to teach your teenager about driving.
Always Remember to Wear Your Seat Belt
The importance of teaching a teen to wear their seat belt can’t be overemphasized. In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) collected statistics reported over 50% of teens who died in automobile accidents weren’t wearing seat belts.
Fortunately, there’s an awareness of the importance of this life-saving device.
The Dangers of Drunk Driving
One of the most important dangers to keep your teenage driver away from is drunk driving. Throughout many teenager’s lives, there will be a temptation for them to engage in underage drinking.
While this is enough of a worry for any parent, the threat becomes more dangerous once a drunk teen gets behind the wheel. You’ll want to make sure your teenager understands it’s wrong to drink and drive.
You should also inform your teen of the implications of driving under the influence.
Avoid Driving with Distracting Passengers
Another danger for teenagers sometimes has to do with who is around them. In general, distractions are one of the number one causes of accidents, according to Emmanuel, Sheppard, and Condon, Pensacola, Florida car accident lawyers.
Distracting passengers are high on the list of risks. It’s understandable few teenagers rarely drive around in complete silence.
However, there’s a line your teenage driver will need to establish with loud passengers. This helps to make sure the driver can transport others without any distractions.
Never Engage in Road Rage
To teach your teenager about driving safety precautions, you must also educate them on the prevalence of road rage. As you probably know, being a teenager sometimes means hormones often run high.
Unfortunately, teenagers often think they’re invincible behind the wheel. In turn, this could lead to a situation where a teen driver is involved in a road rage incident.
Also, you can never predict what type of weapon another angry driver will have in their vehicle. Therefore, it’s best to teach your teen driver never to engage in road rage with another driver.
Finally, there are several things you’ll want to teach your teenager about driving. Being able to drive an automobile is a big responsibility, especially for a teenager.
Spending time to teach your teenager about the dangers of the road is a wise decision. In turn, your teenager will know how to avoid these dangers and drive safely.
References:
Emmanuel, Sheppard, and Condon
As a parent of a newly licensed driver, you might be feeling a mix of emotions. On the one hand, you don’t need to play chauffeur anymore.
However, you also have new worries to think about like distracted driving and other dangers on the road. As soon as your teen starts driving and before they begin driving alone, it’s a good idea to set some rules.
Setting rules and sticking to them can be difficult. However, here are some ways to make rules for your new driver and keep them.
