What can you do to help keep your teen driver safe?
- Make sure they buckle up. Wearing their seat belt is the best and simplest way to avoid serious injuries in a car accident. Always wear your seat belt in front of your teen children and make it a rule that they buckle up before driving.
- Kill the distractions. Teen has grown up with texting, cell phones, and multi-tasking, but it can be deadly behind the wheel. Remind your teen of the texting laws in Texas and make sure that their phone isn’t even in reach when they are driving. Have then put mobile devices in the glove compartment or the back seat.
- Establish a curfew. The majority of deadly teen car accidents take place at night – and often involve reckless driving, speeding, and drinking. Keeping your kids off of the roads at night keeps them out of trouble and keeps them from getting involved in dangerous nighttime activities with friends.
- Always offer a ride home. Have a candid talk with your teens about drinking, and realize that you can disapprove of underage drinking while still letting your children know that they can absolutely always call you for help if they have been drinking or their driver has been drinking.
- Develop driving experience. Take your child to an empty parking lot to drive in the rain and snow so that they know how their car handles. Make sure they gain experience driving at night with you in the passenger seat to guide them. Take your child to both a rural area and an urban area so that they are comfortable driving in varied types of traffic.