Teen Driving Safety: Ways To Keep Your Child Safe Behind The Wheel

As parents, we are always worried about our children, especially when they start driving. These teen driving safety tips will help calm your nerves! Of course, there are rules of the road to follow. If we help put that in the minds of these teenagers, it can only benefit them.

Be An Example

One way we can help teens is by being an example for them. If you, as a parent, are following the rules of the road, then they will most likely too. If you are breaking those rules, then they will feel it’s okay to do and follow suit. You must tell them to follow the rules of the road and if they don’t, there will be consequences.

Teen Driving Safety Tips

What can those consequences be? Besides being pulled over by the police, give them your own consequences. Take away driving privileges if they don’t follow the rules. Make sure your teenage drivers are following these simple rules from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

• Drive Sober or Do Not Get Behind The Wheel – In 2016, almost one out of five teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking alcohol. We all know that it is illegal in every state of America to drink under the age of 21. Tell your teenagers that driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is deadly and against the law!
• Use That Seat Belt – Of the teenagers that died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016, roughly half of them were not wearing seat belts. That is just insane! To add to it, in the cases where the driver was not wearing a seat belt, about 85 percent of those cases included a passenger that was not wearing their seat belt either. Tell your teen to buckle up!
• Keep The Distractions Away – You must warn your teen about the dangers of distracted driving. Of the teens involved in fatal crashes, about 10 percent were distracted at the time of the crash.
• Slow It Down – About one-third of the fatal teen driver crashes had speeding as a factor. By driving faster, it stops the teenagers from having that extra time to react to the situation. Make sure your children are obeying the speed limits.
• Their Friends – While most teens think it’s cool that they can finally drive and take their friends places, it’s not always a good idea. Those passengers serve as distractions on the road. Many states prohibit any passengers in the vehicle for teen drivers.
• Drowsy Driving – This is one of those circumstances that many people overlook, but it’s a real issue! We all think that teenagers have all this energy, especially as we age and feel more and more tired. However, teens have busy schedules between class and sports and activities and part-time jobs. They get tired too. People are most likely to feel tired between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m. This also happens to be the timeframe kids are getting out of school and driving!

These are all great teen driving safety tips. We all just want to keep everyone safe behind the wheel!