subject: Teen Driving - Parental Involvement And Training [print this page] According to recent statistics, nearly 3000 teen driver dies every year in car accidents. The inexperience and the inability to assess the approaching hazards on the roads are the main reasons for these accidents. A teen driver who gets driving license will more likely to explore his new found freedom than to follow the advices of the elders.
The increasing number of deaths in road accidents leads to an improved involvement from all corners of the society. Parents are active in helping their children to cross the initial stage. They must not allow their childrens straight to the main roads or the highways just because they have undergone a driving course and has graduated from a driving school. It does not guarantee their safe driving.
The key to all these problems is in the hands of their parents. Before allowing them to take the vehicle, they must discuss with them and find out how much knowledge their child has regarding the prevailing state laws on driving. Parent and child must come to an understanding and they should also write them down as an agreement and sign it. There are samples of formats, of parent child agreement freely available on internet. They can set their own rules and regulations in the agreement and both can verify them for reference. The agreement should include that there are liberal rewards for good and safe driving and punishments for bad driving.
As a next step, parents must accompany the teenage drivers as a co-passenger till they attain enough road experience and practice. We all know that to learn to play guitar or piano it needs several years to accomplish the goal and practice is what makes it possible. Likewise only through practice a teen driver gets enough experience and gets over the initial mistakes. Till the teens become familiar with the road, till they learns to apply their judgment in proper direction, till they does not lose their control on meeting the unexpected, till they become a matured driver, they need parental guidance while driving. According to statistics, teen driver needs at least 50 hours of supervised driving.
Parents must make their childrens understand that the rules they are enforcing are for their safety and not for controlling them. More than anything else, parents must be the role models of their children in following the safety rules.
Each teen driver must feel his or her responsibility towards his life and towards society. They must not-only understand the meaning of the safety rules for driving and road laws but also realize the full impact of it if they are not followed. There are many tools for the teen driver to assist them for safe driving.
From the young inexperienced Teen driver, one has to mature into an experienced good driver only with parental guidance & support and sufficient practices.
