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As a parent, you’re going to see your children go through a lot of milestones. One milestone that can be both exciting and terrifying, all wrapped into one, is when your child starts to drive. We’re going to share with you some of our best teen safety driving tips to help keep your child safe when they get behind the wheel.
Get Them Familiar with the Vehicle
When your teen first starts getting their driving privileges, the first thing they likely want to do is jump behind the wheel. As a parent, it’s important that you take the time to familiarize your teen with the vehicle that they’re going to be driving. Don’t assume that they know all the basic controls. Rather, you should take time to pull out the owner’s manual and go over all of them. Help them become familiar with the vehicle’s controls, indicator lights, spare tire, hood latch, and so forth.
Go Over Adjustable Driver Settings
One of the best ways to set your teen driver up for success on the roadway is to ensure that they’re physically comfortable behind the wheel. Show them all the features that are adjustable to make the ride smoother for them. This includes things like the driver’s seat, rearview mirror, side mirrors, and so forth. Your teen is already going to be struggling with getting the basics of driving down and they don’t need things like a seat that’s positioned too far back making them uncomfortable.
Enforce Seat Belt Safety
You should make it a habit to ensure that your teen immediately puts their seatbelt on when they get into the vehicle. Avoid cutting the seatbelt or cheating by putting it behind the seat. Your child is going to be watching you and mimicking how you act in the car. This is where it becomes extremely important to follow all the key safety instructions you’re giving them, like putting on a seatbelt before they start the vehicle.
Stay Calm and Collected
It’s important to remember that your teen is going to be looking to you for guidance. If you’re sitting in the vehicle very tensely and raising your voice when they do anything that’s wrong, that uncomfortableness is going to pass on to your child. To give them the best chance of success, you want to go into every driving lesson with a sense of calmness. Heavily restrain from overreacting and instead focus on ways to help them better overcome the issue.
Know Teen Driving Laws
Teen driving laws are going to very heavily from state to state. It’s essential to take the time to read through the various laws regarding teen driving in your state so you can ensure that your teen is following them. For example, many states will make it illegal for your teen to be driving during the overnight hours. Other states may limit the number of passengers they can have in a vehicle while driving. Cellphone use while driving is also regulated in most states. For example in Oklahoma, drivers are allowed to use cell phones to make calls, unless they are under the age of 18, in which case they are prohibited from using call phones in all cases except in an emergency.
Get Adequate Insurance Coverage
Just as you need vehicle insurance to be driving down the road, so does your teen. You should speak with your insurance company to add them to your policy. Make sure you know any limitations your insurance company may put on their driving, such as what hours they can be actively driving the vehicle. Additionally, you’ll want to provide an insurance card for your teen and make sure they understand where it’s at in the vehicle.
As your teen approaches the age where they can start driving, it’s your role as a parent to guide them along the way. By implementing the many tips we went over above, you can ensure your teen has the best guidance possible to develop their skills as a safe driver.
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