3 Teen Driving Safety Tips
It’s back to school time, and for those of us who have new young drivers, that means our teens are going to be on the road more often driving themselves to and from school every day. Read and share these tips with your teen drivers to remind them just how important it is to be a safe driver, both for themselves and for every other driver on the road.
1. Know the Speed Limits…
…Especially in and around the high school. Of course, it is always important to follow the speed limits, but in and around the school there are more young drivers than anywhere else, and higher risk of accidents. Following the speed limits around the school zone, and being extra careful in school parking lots will lessen the chances that your teen will get into a fender bender on their way to or from school.
Things to ask your teen:
- Do you know the speed limit on all of the roads between home and school?
- Do you know the speed limit in the school parking lot?
- If there are any school zones between home and school, do you know when they are in effect and what the reduced speed limit is?
2. Leave the Phone
Use of a cell phone behind the wheel is illegal in California (and Nevada). According to dmv.org, “using a cell phone while driving is equivalent to driving drunk… even when using hands-free.” That quote is about drivers in general, but inexperienced drivers are even more apt to lose control of a vehicle, especially when they haven’t been paying attention to the road.
Things to ask your teen:
- Do you know the risks of texting and driving? (Texting causes your eyes to be of the road for almost 5 seconds at a time each time you look down at your screen. In that time, you could easily drive the length of a football field, and a lot can happen in that distance!)
- Where do you put your phone when you are driving? (Advise them to put it somewhere out of sight, like in the glove box or in their backpack.)
- Do you know the laws surrounding the use of technology while driving? (The laws are stricter for drivers under 18! View them here from the California DMV.)
3. Minimize Distractions
While the use of cell phones while driving may be against the law, there are plenty of legal things your teen may be doing while driving that can increase his/her risk of getting in an accident. Just a few of these “legal distractions” include eating, checking appearance in the mirror, fumbling with the radio, and rummaging for something in a purse or backpack. All of these distractions take your teen driver’s focus off the road and increases the risk that they might lose control of the vehicle.
Things to ask your teen:
- Do you feel it’s dangerous to be distracted (in any of the above ways) while driving?
- Do you ever get distracted behind the wheel? How?
- How can we help you minimize distractions while driving? (Like setting the radio while the car is still parked.)
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