How To Keep Teenage Drivers Safe

Every parent remembers how it felt to get their license when they were 16 years old; the liberation, the freedom, the independence. You finally felt like your life had begun and it was your first step in the process of becoming an adult. However, now that the tables are turned and your own child is at the age when a driver's license and a car are the prominent things in their life, it could be quite a different story.

Agreed, it is a completely different world from the one that you learned how to drive in. From the advent of cell phones, text messages, and iPods, to touch screen GPS and every other imaginable gadget under the sun, driving has become a lesson not only in getting from point A to point B, but also in multitasking. Unfortunately, teenagers also think they are invincible and the very real risk that is posed from not focusing all of their attention on the road is forefront in your mind as a parent.

Thankfully, there is a solution and it doesn't entail keeping your kid locked away in their room until they turn 30, but it does mean that you have to be a parent and a rule setter and not their best friend.

It is imperative that if your teenager is in the process of learning to drive or are new to the open road that you set ground rules, both for yourself and for your child. Post the rules, like "no texting," "no messing with your phone while driving," "no downloading the new song by Eminem while your hands are on the wheel." Furthermore, face it, you love your phone too, but be an example and put it away when you are in the car. Remember, kids mimic your behavior. Regardless of how experienced of a driver you think you are, your kid is going to see that you do it, so why can't they? Whatever driving boundaries you enforce as to good behavior while in the car to your teen, follow it yourself. Don't make excuses that you are so much busier than your teenager and there is a reason you need to be attached to your Blackberry while driving, it could mean their life in the long run. It will only take a moment for your teenager to be distracted while on the road, and ultimately, modeling good behavior in the car could also protect you too.

Another helpful tip against distractions while in the car is to put a rule in place with your teen over the number of passengers they are allowed to have at one time. Just as phones and playing with the radio can cause a distraction, friends can also up your teens chances for having an accident. Furthermore, remember, this is your insurance that your teen is driving on; the more friends in the car, the greater the risk to you as a parent financially. Even if your teen gets in an accident with a carful of friends and even if they walk away okay, you still could find yourself at risk, and at the mercy, of your teen's friends' parents, who might not be as forgiving over bad driving and you could find yourself slapped with a lawsuit. Therefore, state the rules and enforce them. You might not look "cool" in the eyes of your teenager, but you will keep your teen safe as well as lay the groundwork for them to develop the skills that will help them be a good driver as they get older.