Important Things To Teach Your Teenager About Driving

It’s a tense time for every parent when your child starts driving on their own. After receiving their legal license to drive, you can’t simply cage them up for the rest of their lives. Let them free on the roads, but infuse their minds with knowledge and safety as well.

If you teach your kids about the dangers and the responsibilities of driving, it will help give them that voice in the back of their mind that says, “Take it easy.” Here is a quick look at some of the most important things you need to teach your teens before allowing them to drive alone.

Teach them to form good habits

If you catch your kids early, you have a chance to try to instill safe driving habits into the muscle memory. Teach your kids to always fasten their seatbelts. Make sure they regularly use their blinkers.

Leading by example is one of the most influential ways to teach your teens good driving habits. Explain to your teenagers how to drive defensively, and watch out for others on the road.

Explain what to do if they’re pulled over

Teenagers don’t really have a correct concept of how serious a traffic stop can get in an instant. Unfortunately, if you have African American kids, this step is even more vital to your teenager’s safety.

Make sure your kids know to stop their vehicle as soon as it is safe, and do exactly as they’re told (within legal reasoning). Don’t shuffle around in your vehicle, but get your license and registration ready for the officer.

Teach your kids what to do in the case of an accident

Teach your teens what they’re responsibilities are in the case of an automobile accident. Explain to them that the first thing you need to do is check to make sure everyone in the vehicle is okay. Next, (if possible) move the vehicle out of the way of traffic to a safe area.

Then you will need to teach them that it’s good to collect as much information as possible about all of the individuals involved in the accident for insurance purposes. You also want to obtain a police report from the accident. It’s helpful to provide as much information as you can to your insurance company.

Make sure they know simple maintenance skills

Simple breakdowns and malfunctions can occur. The year the car was built doesn’t mean that your kid won’t get a flat tire on the side of the highway. Teach your teen to handle these situations, so they don’t freak out if something happens.

Teach your kid how to safely change a tire. Teach them how to attach booster cables to charge the battery in their vehicle just in case they leave the lights on by accident. Teach them how to check all the fluids in the vehicle, and these skills will keep them safer while they’re away from home.

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