If you’re a parent, you likely think about the day your teen turns 16 with somewhat bittersweet emotions. While it can be a relief to not be the person responsible for driving them to and from all the time, it can also be hard to trust your teen with the responsibility of being behind the wheel.
Although you’ll have to let go to a certain extent in order to allow your teen to drive on their own, there are safeguards you can put in place through your own teaching and example to help ensure that your teen is as safe as he or she can be when driving. To show you how you can do this, here are three things to teach your teen drivers about avoiding car accidents.
Never Drive Under The Influence Of Substances
One of the single most important things that you should teach your teen about being safe while driving is to never get behind the wheel when under the influence of any type of substance. While it’s illegal for teens to drink alcohol, the NHTSA shares that you should reaffirm to your teen that under no circumstances are they to drive if they’ve been drinking or doing any sort of drugs.
In addition to this, you should tell your teen about the potential dangers of driving when they’ve been drinking too many energy drinks or if they’ve been taking certain medications. Inform them that if there’s ever any question as to their fitness to drive, to play it safe and get a ride from someone else.
Take Extra Care When Driving At Night
According to TeenDriving.com, teens are four times more likely to have a fatal car accident at night than during the day. Because of this, it’s crucial that you teach your teens how to safely drive in the dark.
Some tips you might want to give your teen to improve their chances of staying safe behind the wheel at night include never looking directly into the lights of oncoming traffic, scanning their surroundings, using their lights at the right times, and slowing down their speed when necessary.
Help Them Learn How To Reduce Distractions
One of the biggest reasons for car accidents today is distracted driving. There is so much going on in our lives and in our cars that could grab our attention and make us dangerous behind the wheel.
To combat this, Laura Flynn McCarthy, a contributor to Family Circle, suggests that you help your teen learn how to reduce distractions by keeping their phone out of arm’s reach, being smart about using the GSP, and keeping the frills and accessories within the car to a minimum.
To help your teen driver be safe behind the wheel and improve their chances of avoiding a car accident, consider implementing some of the tips mentioned above.
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