What Are Some Driving Tips my Teen Should Know?

There are many things that your teen drivers should understand when they enter the roads. The best thing that you can do is fit your teen drivers with necessary tips to keep them safe when they first learn how to drive. Current research shows us that people between the ages of 15 and 25 have the highest rate of automobile crashes and deaths. Why?

Reasons Why Teens Are Likely to be Involved in Car Accidents 

Risk-Taking: Young people are more likely to take risks on the road because they cannot form the same decision-making as us. This means that they might not understand the risks and consequences of their actions. 

Inexperience: Teens may not be able to fully grasp split-second decisions and hazards as seasoned drivers do. This means that parents must ensure that their teens become more experienced drivers.

Peer Pressure: Teens are most susceptible to peer pressure. They are led by the desire to appear to “fit in” with their friends, even though this is not always safe.

When it comes to teen drivers, experience matters most. Distracted driving comes into play in many cases, including being distracted by cell phones. Traditional driver education programs that consist of 30 hours of classroom time and 6 hours on the road training, are “not effective” when it comes to decreasing the crash risk for teens. If a teen is driving distracted, they tend to look away from the road for longer periods of time and have enough time to drift out of their lane and into another.

Teen Driving Tips 

Every teen can learn from a few tips from their parent. Here are some driving tips that your teens can benefit from, with your help:

  • You should tell your children in advance where they are supposed to go when giving them direction. Telling them to turn or make another move at the last minute can take away from the experience and incite tension.
  • Keep talking to a minimum, as it can serve as a distraction to your teenager.
  • If your child makes a mistake on the road, you should instruct them to pull over so you can explain it to them.
  • Never talk down to your child or scold them, because all teaching should be done in a calming tone.
  • Always look out for potential hazards on the road to give your teen driver enough time to focus on other matters.
  • Gradually increase how much time you spend on the road as the sessions continue.
  • If your teen is in a driver’s education course and what you are teaching them goes against what they learned in class, retract your instruction. Their teacher is a certified instructor.

Keeping these simple tips in mind can change the game when your teen is on the road. Teen safety on the road is one of the best ways to prevent an accident, so please remember these tips when speaking to your teen.