Perhaps the time has come in your household for your teen to finally take the wheel of the car on their own. You’ve probably been teaching them how to drive for a few months before they got their official license, and hopefully have seen them improve during that time. One key component in keeping your teen driver safe on the road is to ensure they’re driving a safe car. Cars.com offers reviews of vehicles currently on the market including their standard safety ratings and information on their scores on crash tests performed.
Beyond choosing the safest car possible, there are a few important lessons to impart on your driving teen before they hit the road alone. The plethora of cell phones and devices these days can be a parent’s worst nightmare. It takes just one second of distraction for disaster to strike behind the wheel. Be sure to teach your kids that text responses and social media posts can wait until they arrive at their destination. There are also parent-controlled apps that report on a teen’s device use while driving and any unsafe driving practices. Many cars these days also offer bluetooth connectivity making calls handsfree. There are also many laws in states throughout the country penalizing drivers for device use while driving. These tickets and citations can have an impact on already high insurance premiums on teen drivers. Be sure your teen understands that these behaviors can have very grave consequences.
Many states also limit who can ride in a vehicle with a teen driver. Some states even go so far as to limit passengers to parents or siblings only as long as a teen driver is under a certain age. While your teenager is getting used to driving without you, it might be wise to dissuade having them pick up friends along the way and offer rides to their peers. This decision will probably be met with moans and groans, but your teen is much more likely to drive in a responsible manner without an audience.
Finally, be sure to register your teenager for a driver’s education course so that they are knowledgeable about the rules of the road. If your teen has taken this class before testing for their driver’s license, great. It’s never too early to learn how to be responsible behind the wheel.