As a concerned parent, you worry about your teenager every time they get behind the wheel. While there is no way to totally control the decisions your child makes, you can take some key steps to improve their safety.
Here are five things you can do:
- Put a restriction on night driving: It may upset your teen, but this is important to their safety.
- Put a restriction on the number of passengers: The more people your teen is driving around, the greater chance there is that they will become distracted at some point.
- Talk about distracted driving: This is a leading cause of teenage motor vehicle accidents, so you need to discuss the types of distracted driving and how to avoid trouble on the road.
- Show your teen what it means to drive safely: When your teen is driving with you, show them how to remain safe. Setting a good example is more important than you may believe.
- Inform them of the consequences: Your teen needs to realize there are consequences of unsafe driving, such as a moving violation and the increased risk of an accident.
It’s natural to worry about your teenage driver. In addition to sharing safety tips, provide advice on what to do in the event of a motor vehicle accident. You never know when another driver could make a mistake that puts your teen in a bad position.
If your teen is part of a car crash, contact your insurance company, review the police report and decide how to hold the negligent driver responsible. All the while, make sure you help your teen get the medical treatment they need to recover.