subject: Teaching Your Teen To Drive Safely [print this page] Driving is essential to our everyday livesDriving is essential to our everyday lives. It is the primary form of transportation in the United States and the only way for many people to go to work every day.
However, it can also be one of the most dangerous activities if certain precautions are not taken. It is very important that teenagers learn how to drive responsibly when they first begin to learn how to drive.
Many of them are simply excited to be old enough to be trusted with that responsibility and they will be willing to listen if it means they get the keys. Be sure to teach the teenagers safe driving habits from the very beginning.
This will save them a lot of pain, hardship, and expense later on in the lives. There are four general areas that you will need to focus on with your teen in order to make sure they will drive safely.
These four areas are hazard recognition, vehicle handling, space management, and speed management. It is critical to be aware of and prepare for dangerous situations before disaster strikes.
Teach you teen how to look ahead and examine the road and its conditions. If there is something in the road, he or she will be able to switch lanes to avoid it.
In addition, review what should be done to safely drive in a snow storm or what to do when the car slides on a patch of ice. They should also be aware that construction zones are very dangerous.
It is important to drive warily in these areas. In construction zones there are extra signs and pieces of safety equipment designed to help drivers know where to go.
Your young driver should be familiar with these and learn how to follow them. These pieces of safety equipment have been tested for crash safety as well, but it is best to avoid an accident if possible.
Your teen should become comfortable with looking to the right, left, and behind the car as well as in front. In order to be prepared for a potentially dangerous situation, the foot should be hovering right above the brake, full awareness should be practiced, and all distractions should be avoided.
The second area to focus on is vehicle handling. It will take some practice before your teen will become comfortable with your car's balance, acceleration, and braking patterns.
It is very common for teens to drive with abrupt braking and acceleration. However, this is hard on the car and passengers.
Smooth driving is always the best because it gives you more control over the car. There will be moments when abrupt movement is necessary, but avoid it where possible.
The third thing that should be discussed thoroughly is space management. Keeping the right distance between your vehicle and another is very important.
If the car ahead of you stops abruptly, you will need time to stop quickly as well. Hopefully, the person behind you has given enough space to stop quickly as well.
This is especially important when driving during icy weather, as you car may not be able to stop right away without sliding. Space is also very important to be thoroughly aware of when you are merging.
It is important to let other drivers know what your intentions are when you are going to merge. This means that you should put your signals to use.
If the space is tight, be considerate and try to give as much space as possible. When necessary, you may also use your horn to indicate to other drivers that you are there.
On occasion other drivers will not be aware of your presence. This could be very dangerous for you.
The last thing you should go over with your teen is speed management. It is a very strong temptation for many teens to press the speed limit and go over.
Teach them why this is a bad idea. In addition, teach them when it is important to drive slower.
For example, icy or poor weather conditions may make the normal speed limit unsafe. Teach them that a nervous feeling, sliding, or inability to see indicates that you should slow down.
As your teen follows these suggestions they will be able to avoid many accidents. The safety equipment used on the road is also placed there to help protect and guide your teen.
With the proper teaching and choices, you will not have to worry about your teen being safe on the road. You will have properly prepared them to deal with things that might come up.
