Your teenager has finally become a legally licensed driver in Cincinnati. You may be ready to send him or her off to run errands and pick up your other kids from school. Before you hand over the keys to your vehicle, you should consider the possible effects of your teen’s lack of experience. Young drivers are more likely to make mistakes and misjudge hazardous driving conditions that oftenn lead to car accidents. Overall, teens are more likely to end up dying in motor vehicle collisions than in any other event.
When you think about how risky it is for your teenager to drive your vehicle, you may be ready to put their license in a frame on the wall instead of in their wallet. You do not need to keep your adolescent from driving if he or she seems ready for the responsibility. Here are some things you can do to improve safety while he or she is behind the wheel.
Talk to your teen
Make time to discuss the rules of the road with your teen. Do not assume that he or she knows everything from driver’s training. You have significantly more driving experience than your teen does, and you can share your experiences in the driving seat for your teen to learn from. Be sure to outline the type of behaviors and responsibilities he or she must exhibit when in the driver’s seat and implement a system of checks and balances to ensure compliance to encourage him or her not to get in a motor vehicle accident.
Show your teen through demonstration
Whenever your young adult is in the car with you, be sure to demonstrate proper driving behaviors. You should already be doing so whether your teen is around or not, but with him or her as a passenger, it is even more important for you to do so. Young drivers tend to mimic the driving actions they see their parents doing the most. If you want your teen to be a safe and responsible driver, you should be one, too.
Teen drivers may lack experience. But what they lack they can make up by using the knowledge they gained in driver’s ed, following all the rules of the road and staying attentive when they are driving.
