10 Vital Teen Safe Driving Tips to Teach Your Kids

When teens begin driving, it’s a scary time for both parents and teens. Teenagers are inexperienced drivers and may be unaware of the dangers of the road. Most new drivers take a driver education course before getting behind the wheel. But as a parent, you also have to take an active role in ensuring your child knows the rules of the road and can navigate the streets safely.

As a parent, knowing what can we do to promote safe teen driving can be a daunting task. Yet, teaching your teen to drive safely is one of the most important lessons you can provide. From having an open discussion to setting rules and limits, here are ten teen safe driving tips vital to ensuring safe driving for teenagers:

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Set Clear Rules

Teenagers need structure when it comes to driving. Setting clear rules about what is expected before and after they get behind the wheel will help keep them accountable. Make sure your teen understands the consequences of breaking these rules, such as delayed privileges or losing their driving privileges entirely.

Have an Open Discussion

Having clear communication with your teenage driver is paramount for their safety. Teenagers are often under pressure and feeling overwhelmed, so having a dialogue and setting the expectation of what kind of behaviors you expect your teen to display when behind the wheel is essential.

It’s important to let them know that they can come to you if they ever find themselves in a dangerous situation.

Always Wear a Seatbelt

First, remind your kids that wearing a seat belt is required every time they travel in a motor vehicle. A huge number of road accidents happen every year just because people fail to wear their seatbelts.

So, to ensure your teens are kept safe or to reduce the severity of injuries should they be involved in an accident, ensure your kids always buckle up when they drive.

Never Become Distracted When Driving

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of road accidents around the world. That includes drivers doing things like texting, eating, drinking, and changing music when they are driving.

Anything that takes attention away from the road and your kids’ driving behaviors will increase the likelihood of accidents occurring. So, teach your kids about the importance of staying focused when behind the wheel of a vehicle.

The earlier that safe practice is instilled in them, the more they will continue to never drive while distracted.

Set Limits on Passenger Counts and Cell Phone Use

The presence of other teen passengers in the car can lead to distractions and unruly behavior, so make sure your teen knows not to have too many passengers when they drive. Some states limit the number of passengers a teen driver can have in the car.

Additionally, cell phone use should be prohibited while driving. Teenagers are especially susceptible to becoming distracted by their phones, so enforcing a no-phone policy when they are behind the wheel is essential.

Always Follow the Speed Limit

Speeding is also a leading cause of vehicle accidents that result in injuries and even fatalities. And, in general, teen drivers are more likely to speed than older drivers. Therefore, it is important that you make clear to your kids just how dangerous speeding can be and ensure they always follow the speed limit.

Maintain a Good Distance Between Vehicles

Your kids will be taught about the right distances to maintain between their vehicles and others during their driving lessons. But make sure you reiterate how important it is that they leave plenty of distance between their cars and the vehicles in front of them.

They will then have more time to stop in the event of an emergency and can, in turn, avoid being involved in an accident. If your kids are injured in a road accident that is not their fault, they have the opportunity to pursue compensation to cover the cost of things like medical bills and lost earnings, with the assistance of trusted car accident attorneys.

But by ensuring your kids maintain good distances between vehicles and follow the other road safety tips listed in this article, you can dramatically reduce the likelihood of your teenagers being involved in a road accident in the first place.

Be on the Outlook for Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Motorcyclists

Your kids need to not only keep their eyes peeled for other vehicles, such as those that act erratically or come out of nowhere. They also need to continually look out for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

They especially need to watch out for other road users in cities, where pedestrians could cross roads where there are no crossings and cyclists could be hard to spot as they weave through traffic.

Even if a road seems quiet, your kids need to continually be on the lookout for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists to avoid accidents from happening.

Never Drink and Drive

Ensure your kids understand the consequences of driving while under the influence. Drinking and driving is never acceptable and it can result in serious consequences.

Make it clear to your kids just how important it is to not impair senses when driving, which can lead to poor judgment and reckless driving behavior, to keep them and others safe on the road.

And tell your kids that, if they should find themselves drinking alcohol when out with their friends after intending to not drink, they should get a lift with a sober friend, get a taxi, or use public transport to get home.

They should never get behind the wheel of a car when they are over the alcohol limit.

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Do Not Drive When Drowsy

Just as important as ensuring your kids do not drive when under the influence of alcohol is making sure that they never drive when drowsy.

Driving when tired can be every bit as dangerous as driving while drunk because drivers will not be completely focused and alert.

If a driver actually falls asleep while behind the wheel of a car, even for a moment, the driver will greatly increase his or her chances of being involved in an accident. Even on a relatively straight road, a sleeping driver could easily drift off the road.

And if your teen does not actually close his or her eyes but is feeling tired and drowsy, he or she could easily zone out for a moment and lose all focus on the road. When driving at high speeds, zoning out for even a second or two can potentially lead to disaster.

So, make sure you talk to your kids about how important it is to always get enough sleep before driving a car.

Also, tell them what to do if they start to feel drowsy behind the wheel. That means explaining that your kid should pull over and rest before proceeding with the journey. Alternatively, if there is a passenger who can drive, that person could take over driving duties.

Summing Up

So, there you have it. It is important that you teach these safe driving for teenagers road safety tips when they are ready to drive by themselves. Your children can then drive safely and, as a parent, you can have peace of mind.

To recap, when it comes to teen safe driving, you should teach your kids to:

Set clear rules
Have an open discussion
Always wear a seatbelt.
Never become distracted when driving.
Set Limits on Passenger Counts and Cell Phone Use
Always follow the speed limit.
Maintain a good distance between vehicles.
Be on the outlook for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.
Never drink and drive.
Never drive when drowsy.

Now you know what road safety tips to teach your kids, you might also like to check out these tips for safe travel with your family.

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