3 Tips For Teaching Your Teen To Be A Safe Driver
While your teen might be excited to finally be able to drive, you as their parent might be nervous about how safe your teen will be behind the wheel. Because so much harm could come to your teen and other drivers on the road if they aren’t safe, it’s vital that you teach your teen and instill in them the desire to be a safe driver.
To help you with this, here are three tips for teaching your teen to be a safe driver.
Start By Being A Good Example
The very first thing you’ll want to do when trying to teach your teen the importance of being a safe driver is to set a good example of safe driving for them. If your teen sees that you don’t take safe driving seriously when you’re the driver, it will be much easier for them to justify making unsafe decisions, too. As your teen is learning how to drive, make sure you always use safe driving techniques that you’ve been teaching them. If you’re telling them to always wear their seat belt, be sure you do the same. If you’re teaching that it’s important to avoid getting distracted when behind the wheel, make sure you’re keeping all distractions away from you when you’re driving.
Set Some Safety Ground Rules
While it’s good to know how to be a safe driver, sometimes, teens need some actual, concrete rules put in place so that they know exactly what the expectation is for them. This is when safety ground rules come in. In order for your teen to be able to drive, you should insist that they follow certain rules. Some of these rules might include things like never driving if they’ve been drinking alcohol or using drugs, only having one friend in the car with them, keeping the music at a reasonable level, not leaving your city or town, keeping their phone out of arm’s reach, and more. All of these rules are meant to keep your teen and other drivers safe.
Reiterate That Driving Is A Privilege
To increase the chances of your teen following the rules you’re set about driving, you’ll want to reiterate to them that driving is a privilege that they earn through their behavior. If your teen chooses not to obey the rules you put in place for their safety, there should be consequences that will be put in place. This might include only driving to school and work or not being able to drive at all for a period of time. This will help your teen to know that you’re serious about them being safe as they drive. If you’re wanting to teach your teen driver how to be safe when on the road, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you achieve this.
