Educating Your Teen On Safe Driving Habits

All parents worry about their teens’ safety when they start driving. Helping teens develop safe driving habits can keep them safer on the road. You can help your teen learn how to drive safely by following the tips below.

1. Lead By Example

We all pick up bad driving habits after years of driving. However, you should correct any bad habits you have developed to keep your teen from picking them up. For example, if you don’t normally use your blinker to indicate an upcoming turn, you may want to retrain yourself to use the blinker. Your teen is learning driving habits while they are driving around with you.

By adjusting your driving behavior and following all the safety guidelines, you will influence how your teen drives. Stick to all the driving rules whenever your teen is in the car. Present safe driving techniques like ensuring you come to a complete stop at a stop sign and looking both ways before pulling out.

These little lessons about how to stay safe on the road don’t need an introduction or even a conversation. Your teenagers will learn safe driving skills just by watching you. It would be best to model the behavior you want your child to follow.

2. Pay for the Class

Driver safety courses can help prepare your teen to drive safer. It may be a good investment if a course is available in your area. Sitting on a course that teaches teens some of the pitfalls of distracted driving and how to drive defensively can make them more aware of some of the risks they face on the road.

Information from an outside source may be held in higher regard by a teen. It may provide checkable facts for the teen to locate more information on the topic. For example, according to Wilson McQueen PLLC, about 61% of fatal car crashes happen in urban areas. This information can be critical in keeping a teen aware of their surroundings when they are driving and when to use extra caution.

Paying for a driver safety class can come with a great return. Your teen may become a more cautious driver based on what they learn. It can give your teen an advantage when they are on the road.

3. Have the Talk

You may talk to your teen often about safe driving habits, but you can never talk too much about it. Keep talking to your teens about safe driving. Set clear boundaries for what is acceptable and what is not. Put repercussions in place when rules are broken and follow through.

Driving is a big responsibility. So, in short, make them responsible for how they drive. Consider requiring them to pay part of the insurance costs. Adding a new driver to your auto insurance can increase premiums significantly. According to Forbes, about one out of eight drivers do not have auto insurance coverage. Be one of the other seven and be properly insured on the road.

Talk to your teen about how auto insurance coverage works and the cost of insurance and maintaining a vehicle. Teaching your child that becoming a driver is more than getting in the vehicle and driving away will help them slow down and think about how they drive. When your teen is held responsible for their actions, it can be a great way to teach them about safe operations.

4. The Biggest Risk

Hands down, the biggest risk today for teens on the road is distracted driving. Texting while driving is a leading cause of serious car crashes among teens. FactorNews says a cell tower land lease is just a small space. However, cell-related car accidents are estimated to be hundreds of thousands.

Make driver safety a priority for your teen. Protect your new drivers from themselves and other drivers. Look for more tips on how to help your teen be a safer driver.