Has your teen been counting down the days until she gets her license? If this is the case, you’re about to have a teen driver on your hands! Yikes! Most teens learn to drive without a hitch, but it does take some learning (and hopefully no fender benders!) before your teen will drive like a pro. Since your top priority as a parent is to make sure that your kids are safe at all times, here are some of the things that you can do to increase teen safety on the road.
Set a positive example. This might seem like an obvious tip, but you really can’t set enough of a positive example when it comes to your teen. Believe it or not, she will be watching how you drive, what you do when you drive, and whether or not you obey traffic rules while driving. Teens often mimic their parents when they start to drive, so put down the cellphone, and pay attention to the road in order to set a great example for your new driver.
Make sure that the car she’s driving is completely safe. Has the car been inspected? Is everything up to code? Is the car safe to drive? Car safety is a big deal, so make sure that the car she’s driving is really safe. You can also install a wireless backup camera, so that she can see what’s behind her and avoid missing things like mailboxes and trash cans!
Don’t let her drive with friends right away. Friends are great, and most of them will be psyched when she gets her license, but friends can also be distracting. Set a rule that she can only drive by herself to start, and she can drive with friends at a later time.
Skip the night driving for now. Driving at night can be tricky, and trickier still if a new driver is trying to navigate dark roads for the first time. Make sure she’s in by dusk for the first month or two, or until she has had adequate night driving experience with the supervision of an adult.
Take all distractions away. Cell phones, tablets, and even in-car consoles that speak and do other things can be distracting. Make sure she knows how dangerous these things can be, and do not tolerate any kind of distracted driving.
Explain what to do in case of an emergency. To teens, dealing with emergency situations isn’t as obvious as it might be to you. Even though you know what to do when an emergency happens, your teen might not know at all. Go over every possible situation, and make sure that she understands what to do immediately.
Tell her that she can call you at all hours of the day and night. Some teens don’t reach out to parents when an accident happens or when something else happens for fear that they may upset a parent. Letting her know that she can call you with anything from a flat tire to breaking the backup camera means letting her know that she’s not alone.
Drive with her the first few times. Try not to be overshadowing or overbearing (remember, you won’t be there all the time, so let her make mistakes!), but do accompany her as much as you can during the first month or so. This way, you can help her if she has an issue or gets stuck.
Don’t let her drive on the highway or freeway right away. These roads are tricky, and they require some real experience. Limit her paths to local roads for the time being, and later she can branch out to highways.
Installing a Rear Backup Camera
Safety is really the top priority when it comes to your child — and even to you. The best way to make sure that you are safe at all times (in addition to driving a car that’s in good shape) is to install a backup camera on your car. Soon, all new cars will have these types of cameras, but you can add one to an older car too. Simply call Trail Ridge Technologies today to order your own backup camera, and we’ll make sure that you and your family are safe.