Every day, you teach your teen way more about safe driving than you realize.
As a parent, you probably hand over the car keys to your teenage son or daughter with mixed emotions: relief, because you won’t have to play chauffeur much longer; pride, because learning to drive parks a right of passage for your child; and, perhaps most of all, anxiety and fear.
You have good reason for concern. Nationally, traffic crashes rank as the No. 1 cause of death for 16 to 19-year-olds, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Every year, more than 3000 teens die on the road, and 350,000 wind up in emergency rooms for crash related injuries.
And it’s not just teens and their families and friends who suffer. Teens who aren’t prepared to navigate the road safely put everyone at risk. Two thirds of those who die in crashes involving teen drivers are other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
Do your part to keep your teen from becoming another statistic. The following steps will help get your teen off to a safe start behind the wheel.
Remember That You’re A Role Model
When a driver cuts you off in traffic, how do you respond? Do you roll through stop signs? Speed when you’re late for a meeting? It might not always seem like it, but as parents we still wield the most influence in our teens lives. And their driving skills are learned, not inherited.
In fact, a recent study showed a clear link between parents’ and teens’ driving records. Generally, teens who got into crashes were far more likely to have parents who got into crashes or who got tickets. This suggests that teens’ driving behavior is a reflection of parents driving behavior.
“Parents are an important influence on their teens’ driving behavior in ways they may not realize,” says Anita Lawrence Villagrana, AAA’s Traffic Safety Manager. “After all, your kids have been watching you drive for years and will likely model your driving habits.”
“So the strongest way to deliver a message is to lead by example: Wear your safety belt, drive the speed limit, limit distractions, never text, maintain a safe following distance, and keep your cool behind the wheel.”
What you do is at least as important as what you say – probably more. So don’t fool yourself about how well you practice safe driving. Research shows that 95% of parents believe their safe drivers, but 82% of teens report seeing their parents being careless when driving.
Training Tips For Parents
- Decide which parent is the most appropriate one to work with your teen. Then set a practice schedule and stick to it.
- Make sure your teen can focus and isn’t too tired or overwhelmed when it’s time for practice session. (You, too.)
- Vary your practice session times and routes.
- Know California’s Graduated Driver License Law and enforce it with your teen.
- Play a pivotal role in choosing when and what type of card to buy your teen.
- Read, discuss, and sign a parent-teen driving agreement. And be sure your new driver clearly understands the rules and boundaries of this privilege.
- Discuss the challenges and risks associated with driving a car and take your teen through some possible situations.
- Maturity level and age should both be deciding factors in determining whether or not your teen is ready to learn to drive.
- Be prepared for the time and emotional commitment involved in teaching your teen how to drive.
