What Parents of Newly Minted Drivers Can Do to Protect Their Teens

Your teenager recently aced parallel parking and the rest of the driver’s test. Now, it’s time to hit the road. As parent, however, you’re naturally wary. After all, car crashes remain a top killer for adolescents. You can’t monitor your teen at all times, but you can provide an element of protection from afar. Follow these tips to keep your teen safe on the road:

Select Vehicles With Teen Driver Mode

Several of today’s finest vehicles feature driving modes specifically designed to address parent concerns. Chevrolet, for example, provides teen driving technology to monitor young drivers’ behavior and, if necessary, disable certain features. You can use teen driving technology to generate in-vehicle report cards, set speed limits, and mute the audio system when drivers and passengers fail to use seatbelts.

Use Safe Driving Apps

If your car doesn’t provide some sort of teen driving mode, install apps on your teen’s phone to prevent texting or Snapchatting behind the wheel.

Limit Driving With Friends

Teens who drive alone are surprisingly safe behind the wheel. Unfortunately, everything changes when friends enter the equation. Research indicates that risky behaviors among teen drivers increase significantly when they travel with other teenagers. The risk of speeding, in particular, increases dramatically if at least three teenagers are together in a vehicle at the same time.

Demonstrate Safe Behavior Behind the Wheel

If you text while driving, why would you expect your teen to put down the phone? How you behave now could determine not only how your teen drives, but also how your preteen approaches driving in the future. Model the responsible behaviors you expect from teen drivers, including correct use of turn signals, full stops at stop signs, and driving at the posted speed limit.

Was your teenage driver recently involved in a car crash? Proactive legal representation is absolutely critical during this difficult time. Contact Regan Zambri & Long PLLC today to schedule a consultation.