As a parent, you want to do your best to keep your child safe at all times. That’s why it can be daunting when your teenager first starts driving. As worried as you may be about your new driver, it’s important to teach your teen safe driving tips when they first begin to hit the road. Below we list some important driving safety tips to teach your teen.

1. Buckle Your Seatbelt

Buckling your seatbelt should be the first thing you do when you get in the car. Seatbelts save lives and you should instill this in your teen so that they make it a habit of buckling their seatbelt each time they enter a vehicle.

2. Don’t Use Your Cell Phone While Driving

Distracted driving is one of the top causes of car collisions, and cell phones are one of the biggest distractions. Teach your teen to ignore their cell phone while driving and avoid all distractions. It takes seconds for a car crash to occur, and looking at your phone takes your eyes off the road for multiple seconds.

3. Get to Know Your Car

Teach your teen the importance of familiarizing themselves with their vehicle. This includes, reading the owner’s manual, understanding the dashboard signals, and learning some basic car maintenance. You should also make sure your teen has an emergency kit in their car.

4. Follow the Speed Limit

Speed limits are in place for a reason. Following the speed limit helps avoid accidents and speeding tickets. Teach your teen the importance of obeying the speed limit early on.

5. Don’t Drink and Drive

It may seem obvious to avoid drinking and driving, but unfortunately, it does occur. According to a study on dangerous areas for teenage drivers in Florida, 22% of fatal teen crashes in Florida from 2012 to 2019 involved alcohol. Impaired driving is extremely dangerous and can be avoided. Teach your teen to never drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol as it can prove to be fatal.

6. Avoid Nighttime Driving

When your teen is first learning how to drive, nighttime driving should be kept to a minimum. There is a reason why limits on night driving for new drivers are put in place. Visibility is low at night, and this increases the risks of getting into a collision for a new driver.

How to Instill These Safe Driving Habits in Your Teen

There are some good strategies you can use to make sure your teenager picks up the safe driving habits listed above. 

Be a Good Example

From the point your child switches from a rear-facing to front-facing car seat, they begin to pick up on your driving behaviors. This is why it’s important that you set a good example of safe driving techniques so that by the time your teenager is ready to drive, they have an understanding of safe driving habits. This means that you should always buckle your seatbelt, avoid distracted driving, and obey speed limits and traffic laws.

Know the Law

Make sure you know the rules and regulations when it comes to teen driving so that you are aware of the time of day your teen is able to drive at and who is allowed to be a passenger in your teen’s vehicle. Being knowledgeable on the restrictions of your teen’s provisional permit or license will help keep them and others on the road safe.

Communicate

Communicating to your teen about your expectations of them as a new driver is an important step to take. Make sure they understand that driving is a privilege and there are consequences of reckless driving.

When your teen first starts to drive, it’s important that you teach them safe driving habits. Reinforcing the safety tips above can help your teen learn safe driving techniques from the start and decrease the risk of an accident.