Tips for Parents on Talking with Teens on Safe Driving and "Keeping Your Distance"
Having a new driver in the house is an exciting and anxious time for parents. You marvel at how fast your teen has grown up and getting their license marks another step towards adulthood, but that license brings with it more worries about your teen’s safety. You can’t always be the one driving them, so how do you make sure they stay safe on the road? The key is to start talking with your teen right away about safe driving practices. As a parent, you are one of the most influential people in your teen’s life and they respect what you have to say, even if they do roll their eyes every once in awhile.
A great first step is to think of your teen’s learner’s permit as a time for you to put on that professor’s cap. With years of driving experience behind you, you know well the rules of the road and have personal experiences that may help your teen if confronted with a similar situation. Use this time to be your teen’s co-pilot and let them drive you around, with you all the while beside them offering tips along the way. If you make a routine out of this, what you say will really stick with your teen and they’ll remember your tips, even when you’re not right next to them.
With following too closely being the primary factor in accidents, teach your teen what a safe distance is between cars and explain that different weather conditions may change that distance. The most common practice taught today is the two second rule. In ideal weather conditions, leaving two seconds of space between yourself and the car ahead should leave enough time for a driver to react and avoid a potential accident. This is not a hard and fast rule and has obvious exceptions. When winter weather starts, leave more than two seconds between cars because slippery roads slow down the possible reaction time. Also, the faster the speed, the more space needed to react properly. And one of the best suggestions, when in doubt, leave extra room; always better to err on the side of caution.
Learning to yield properly can be a difficult notion for new teen drivers to grasp. Some situations may be simple with only one lane they have to give right of way to, but other more complicated intersections may not be so easy. If you know a tricky intersection like this, have your teen drive you there and talk them through what to look for and how to act. Also, teach them to be cautious of other drivers at yields because not everyone obeys the rules of the road. Defensive driving is a habit best learned early.
Finally, don’t be afraid to set boundaries for your teen. Remind them that driving is a privilege to be earned and not taken for granted. When they first begin driving, give your teen a driving curfew. If they want to go somewhere after their curfew, then you as the parent will take them. As your teen becomes more experienced with the road, extend their curfew. This offers a good incentive for your teen to respect their curfew and earn more responsibility. Also, teach your teen about the consequences of unsafe driving. If you see your teen fiddling with the CD player or talking on their cell phone while driving, limit their curfew or take the keys away for a time. Losing their driving privileges will get their attention quite quickly.
And remember, your teens look up to you as a model of how they should drive. Give them a great example to learn from!
Data provided by Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council.