4 Things Every Parent with Driving Teens Must Remember

Here's what you should do when your teen starts driving.

While your teen may be very excited to drive, you as a parent, are probably dreading the day your child sits behind a wheel. That’s not surprising considering how road accidents are prevalent nowadays. According to Annual Global Road Crash Statistics, close to 1.3 million people die in road accidents every year while around 20 to 40 million are injured or become disabled. Here’s what you should know as a parent of a driving teen.

Make Sure You’re Covered

Start by getting auto insurance in Durham, NC, for your car. Even if your kid doesn’t have his own car, it helps to add him to the Authorized Driver clauses in your auto insurance. The beauty of this is that you won’t have to pay an exorbitant amount as opposed to actually getting insurance solely for your child. Insurance companies are terribly wary of young drivers so they tend to impose high premiums for drivers in their early 20s.

Impress the Importance of Car Checks Before Every Drive

Most teens driving cars have no idea what the lights in their dashboard mean. You’ll have to make sure that even before they start going places with the automobile, they know exactly how to asses and fix basic car problems. For example, they should know how to use a tire gauge, how to fill a flat tire, and to adjust their mirrors before driving. They should have a fairly good idea on how to remove flat tires and replace them with the spare tire. Even women should be taught how to do this, in case of emergencies. Putting coolants in the car, changing oil, and other routine maintenance methods should be told beforehand as this contributes to the car’s safe use.

Practice Not Just Driving but Also Parking

Start with small trips with your teen in the driver’s seat, possibly taking routes that are safe and with as little traffic as possible. You’d want your teen to gain some confidence in handling the wheels. Look for places where the parking space is a little generous and instruct on how to properly back up to a parking spot, how to back out of a parking spot, and how to parallel park. Minor accidents often occur due to parking mishaps so it’s important to slowly increase the difficulty of parking.

Teach Them What to Do in Accidents

While accidents are best avoided at all costs, the fact is that sometimes accidents can happen. Your kid may not be reckless – but another driver might be. Hence, it’s important that your child knows exactly what needs to be done in the event of an accident or if they’re on the verge of an accident. Learning a bit of defensive driving can help you feel assurance in your child’s ability to use the car without your supervision.

While you might be tempted to forbid your teen from driving at all, the fact is that learning how to drive is an important milestone in mile. You can’t stop your kids from reaching this milestone – but you can impress on them the importance of safe driving.

Sources:

https://teendriving.com/driving-tips/tips-for-parents/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/productivity/learning/5-tips-for-parents-of-teens-learning-to-drive
http://theutopianlife.com/2019/02/15/5-tips-for-parents-to-worry-less-when-your-teen-starts-driving/