Safe Drive – Teen Driving


One of the most important jobs that parents have in this world is to try to teach their children different lessons that will keep them safe as they grow up, and keep them safe into adulthood. When it comes to something parents can do to make sure that their children stay safe in the world, few things can pay off down the road as much as teaching them to be a safe driver. Being a safe driver is one of the best things someone can say about somebody else. Safe drivers are benefited in many ways, but the most important way is that through their actions they and their passengers have a better chance of avoiding a possible car accident. Another way that safe drivers are benefited is financially. Safer drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than drivers who exhibit the characteristics of unsafe drivers.

When teenagers pass their driving test, the lessons on being a safe driver should not be discontinued. When teaching teens to be safe drivers after they have their license, there are a number of areas that need to be covered.

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Peer Pressure
An important lesson for teens to learn is that they need to not let their friends talk them into doing something behind the wheel that they know they shouldn’t be doing. Peer pressure is one of the toughest things that a young person can come up against. They have to deal with it at school, in fashion, with drinking and drugs, and with driving too. Getting through to a teen and letting them see the big picture of what reckless actions can lead to can be a great way to get them to be strong enough to say no to their friends.

Avoid Traffic Congestion
When a teenager first gets their license, it is best to try and limit their driving to non-congested areas of the roadways. An inexperienced driver can quickly become overwhelmed when surrounded by heavy traffic. This can cause a stressful situation, and even a seasoned driver can feel tense. Even a small mistake in heavy congested traffic can be serious. Allow a teen driver to ease into driving in heavy traffic slowly, this way they can use one experience to build on another and in the end be confident in even the worst of traffic jams.

Traffic Accident Ramifications
One of the best ways to convince teen drivers to be more safe is to not only warn them about the possibility that they may be involved in a traffic accident, but also explain to them what being involved in a traffic accident will mean. It should be explained to them how if the accident is serious enough, it may mean that they no longer have a working vehicle. They need to be shown exactly how a traffic accident will affect their and your insurance rates. Above all, a teenager needs to have it explained to them how a traffic accident can affect both them and their passengers in case of serious injury.

Night Driving
Anything that reduces what a driver can see is a potential hazzard. One of the biggest things that can reduce a driver’s vision is darkness. Having an inexperienced teen driver avoid driving at night when they first get their license is a great way to improve their chances of being a safe driver. Like heavy traffic situations, having a young driver gradually become familiar with driving at night is far preferable to having them drive at night whenever they feel like it.

Instill Confidence
Reassuring a teenage driver when they do things correctly can go a long way in making them feel more confident when behind the wheel. A confident driver is less apprehensive when out on the road. A driver who is not confident, and waits until the last minute or until it is too late to make a crucial decision, may end up not making that decision in time. It is also important that when a teen driver’s actions are wrong that they be corrected but not scolded to the point that they will then be fearful of making any decisions at all.

Awareness Of Surroundings
When first driving, many teenagers pay all of their attention to their own vehicle and the spot where they are on the road. Teaching young drivers to be able to confidently drive their vehicle while using their peripheral vision to watch their immediate surroundings and to also pay attention to what is happening further down the road can give them the tools they need to be ready for anything when it happens.

Driving And Alcohol
One of the most serious things that tends to happen to teen drivers is mixing driving and alcohol. Young drivers need to know the ramifications of drinking and driving. They need to have it explained to them that it can lead to a car accident, an injury, or even death to them, their passengers, or occupants of another vehicle. The effects of drinking and driving could stay with them for the rest of their life.

Once the excitement of getting their driver’s license has passed, most kids really do want to be safe drivers. To a teenager, driving represents their freedom and maturity. It doesn’t take long to realize that the better they drive and the more responsibility they show, then the more freedom they will be able to have. The lessons a parent teaches them about driving will go a long way towards keeping them safe not only while they are teenagers, but for the rest of their lives. Giving the gift of safety and responsibility behind the wheel is one of the best things a parent can do for their child.

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