Teen Driving
Being able to drive is a big milestone for many teens. Driving is an indicator of pending adulthood and independence. It is also a time of stress for many parents as they worry about accidents and their insurance rate increasing. About 2,300 teens die each year from car accidents, and many more end up in the ER for treatment, so parents aren’t wrong to worry. Because of the risk, which does improve as the teen gets more experience behind the wheel, many states have gone to a graduated driver licensing system.
Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL).
The first six months of driving tends to be when the most accidents occur. With GDL the teen driver gets an intermediate, or provisional, licence after the learner’s permit. The conditions of the intermediate license may vary, but generally they are things that help keep the driver safer during this critical time. Restrictions including no teen passengers, no driving at night, and limited number of passengers are part of the conditions on intermediate licenses that have proven to reduce crashes and death.
Parent-teen driving contract.
No matter if your state has the GDL, you can make a driving contract with your teen. Talking to your teen about driving, safety, and conditions of the contract make sure you both know your expectations, and the consequences for going outside of those expectations.
The forms include clear rules to follow for driving, including basic safety such as wearing a seatbelt, not texting, and not drinking and driving. It also includes areas for limitations which can change as the teen gets more experience, like passengers and night driving. It also includes an area for what the consequences of not following the rules are, such as no driving for a week.
Part of the contract includes the teen agreeing to call you for a ride if they feel uncomfortable driving for any reason. Make sure when you go over this section that your teen knows that you will do this at any time and for any reason. Be prepared to be calm and rational when they call you from a party because if you’re not they probably won’t call you for help again.
Be a good role model.
As with most other things, kids tend to do what they see you do, not what you tell them. Wear a seat belt, look both ways, keep from being distracted by eating or talking, don’t drink alcohol or take drugs before driving, and obey traffic signs and signals.
Make sure they have a good car.
Now, this doesn’t mean a brand new car off the lot. It can be any car that’s in good repair, has all of its safety features still intact, and has good tires. Even if you have your teen buy their own car, make sure the one they choose is safe.
Everyone breaks down at some point, though. So let your teen know what to do in case of a break down, wreck, or low tire. You can put a hazard kit in the trunk alongside the spare tire. If you have roadside assistance, make sure the number to call is readily available on their phone. If you don’t have roadside assistance, make sure they know who to call for help. In both cases, talk to them about how to be safe while pulled off the road.
Be aware of the conditions they’re driving in.
There are some situations that make roads more hazardous than usual. Things like ice, snow, rain, high winds, and even gravel roads can make even a simple trip much harder. The more driving experience a teen has before having to deal with these the better. Talk to them about changing conditions, and what drivers need to do to make their trip safer-slowing down, when to pull over, using fog lights, etc.
Bottom line.
Getting a driver’s license is a big step in a teen’s growth and maturity. You can help make it safer.
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