12 Tricks to Assist Teenagers Drive Safely

1. Accompany Your Teen Driver for a Interval of Time

The danger of a crash is highest in a teen’s first 12 months of driving.¹ To assist scale back this danger, give your teen as a lot observe as potential earlier than they drive independently. The CDC recommends at the least 30 to 50 hours of supervised driving observe unfold out over a minimal of six months.²

2. Use the “Do Not Disturb” Setting

Distracted driving is harmful for drivers and pedestrians alike, and smartphones are one of the crucial distinguished distractions. To assist teenagers keep centered on the duty at hand, advise them to set their cellphone to the Do Not Disturb setting whereas driving.

3. Discourage Different Types of Distracted Driving

Telephones aren’t the one supply of distracted driving. Encourage your teen to arrange GPS instructions and eat earlier than hitting the highway. Limiting the variety of passengers will help additionally, since they will generally be very distracting, particularly to a brand new driver.

4. Maintain Them on a Sleep Schedule

Drowsy driving is one other potential risk to your teen’s life and the lives of different drivers. Remind your teenage driver concerning the impression of drowsy driving and the significance of getting loads of shut-eye.

5. Set a Strict Curfew

Visibility is low at evening, and low visibility can current a major problem for inexperienced drivers. Mix that with opposed climate situations (see under) and that might spell bother. Set a curfew on your teenage drivers in order that they’re not driving late into the evening.

6. Maintain an Eye on Climate Circumstances

Climate occasions akin to rain, hail, snow, ice and fog naturally make issues harder for brand new drivers. Recommend that they obtain a climate app to their cellphone and encourage them to examine native situations earlier than heading out. Apps that present the climate by the hour could also be a fantastic selection, as they’ll have the ability to examine for opposed climate occasions that could be arriving later within the day.

7. Watch the Fuel Gauge

Double examine their fuel gauge sometimes to make sure they’re fueled up and remind them to keep watch over it, too. Make sure that your teenagers know find out how to refuel and think about placing a couple of dollars within the glove compartment for emergency fuel. Working out of fuel might depart them stranded and doubtlessly put them in hurt’s method.

8. Have Them Pitch In

Ask your teenagers to cowl a number of the prices of their car: fuel, registration, insurance coverage, and so forth. Having them pitch in can create accountability and guarantee extra accountable driving.

9. Hop within the Passenger’s Seat Each As soon as in a Whereas

Take a drive together with your teenagers occasionally simply to examine in on their driving expertise. Are they following the foundations and driving safely? Are there expertise they should work on? Don’t be afraid to roll again privileges in the event that they aren’t working the automobile appropriately.

10. Stress the Significance of Seat Belts

Seat belts are nonnegotiable. Seat belts saved nearly 15,000 lives on U.S. roads in
2017.³

11. Encourage Them to Go away Early

In case your teen has an appointment or time-sensitive occasion to attend, ensure that they hit the highway with loads of time to get there a couple of minutes early. This might assist scale back rushing.

12. Leverage Know-how

There are a selection of apps that may assist with monitoring your teen’s driving. Simply be sure you’re up entrance about your use of those apps, and let your teenagers know what you anticipate of them.

The day your teenagers begin to drive on their very own doesn’t must be scary. Simply take a palms on position of their driving training, mannequin secure driving habits and allow them to rise to the event.

Make sure that they’re correctly insured, too. Contact your native Bolder Insurance coverage Advisor to find out about  automobile insurance coverage. They will help you establish what automobile insurance coverage protection your teen driver would possibly require.

Sources
¹, ²https://www.cdc.gov/parentsarethekey/hazard/index.html
³https://www.nhtsa.gov/dangerous driving/seat belts