Teen Driver 10-Point Safety Checklist

Believe it or not, your teenager is old enough to drive. He’s excited. You’re nervous. As a concerned parent, your priority is keeping your child safe when he/she is on the road. Statistics have shown that car crashes are the number one cause of death between teenagers and young children, and more than 300,000 teen drivers are injured every year. Before you hand over the keys, have a serious talk with your teen and follow these 10 tips to make sure your teen is roady ready. 

1. Do have your teen's vision checked before allowing him/her to drive the car, especially at night. Make sure that your son or daughter can see street signs clearly, and get the correct prescription for glasses if your teen has trouble seeing at night.

1. Do practice driving with your teen as often as possible. Once you've seen that your child is able to get around the neighborhood pretty well, slowly increase the distance between locations until you feel comfortable with his sense of direction.

1. Do establish a 'no questions asked' policy with your teen. Stress the importance of no drinking and driving (under any circumstances) to your teen, and explain that if she has been out drinking with friends, she should never attempt to drive home. Assure her that you will come pick her up from wherever she is--without giving her a lengthy lecture on the way home.

1. Do hold your teen to a safety agreement. Some insurance companies, such as Allstate, (http://allstateteendriver.com/contract.html) that provide parents and teens with a contract that makes your teenager responsible for being a safe driver. You can even customize the contract and change its terms (i.e. the time of day your teen can drive, or the amount of passengers that are allowed in the car) as your teenager becomes more accustomed to driving.

1. Do make sure the car your teen will be using is in good working order. Check the brakes and lights thoroughly, and make any necessary repairs to the vehicle before your teenager starts driving. Remind your teen to notify you as soon as anything goes wrong with the car, so it can be fixed right away.

1. Don't be a bad example when it comes to driving. If your teen constantly sees you answering the phone, texting, or applying makeup while driving, it is likely she will pick up similar habits.

1. Don't upset your teen while he/she is driving. When practicing with your teen, it's best not to yell or give out orders while upset. This will make your teenager nervous behind the wheel, which can lead to more unsafe driving.

1. Don't stop reminding your teen to be safe on the road. Even after your teenager has received his license, you should still make sure that you have regular conversations with him about the dangers of getting behind the wheel while intoxicated, or driving with loud music or distracting friends. Constant reminders will keep these principles fresh in your teen's mind, and make safe driving habits easy to adopt.

1. Don't allow your teen to get on the road until you are absolutely sure she is comfortable enough to drive on her own. When you see that she is automatically doing things like checking her mirrors before reversing, obeying the speed limit, and placing her phone in an inaccessible area of the car, these are signs that your teen will be responsible when operating a vehicle.

1. Don't leave all the teaching up to the driving instructor. Even though you've found a qualified driving school for your teen, it's important that you work with your teen in between courses. Talk to your teen's driving instructor about the areas your teenager needs to improve, so you can focus on these aspects when you practice with your teen at home.

Sources:

http://parentingteens.suite101.com/article.cfm/10_safe_driving_tips_for_...

http://allstateteendriver.com/contract.html

http://www.allstate.com/foundation/teen-driving/parent-tips.aspx

http://www.5myteen.com/statistics.html