10 Safe Driving Tips for Teens

How to Keep Your Teenager Safe on the Road

Nov 18, 2007 Mary McCarthy

AAA Safe Teen Driving Campaign - www.aaaexchange.com Teen driving safety is an important goal for all parents. Here are ten ways to keep teens safe on the road. Car crashes are the leading cause of death among 15 to 20 year olds. Handing keys to your teenager for the first time is enough to cause teeth-clenching, hand-wringing anxiety for even the calmest of parents. In honor of Teen Driving Safety Awareness week, AAA released a list of 10 Things Parents Can Do To Keep Their Teen Driver Safe. (Washington DC 10/15/07) Parents can have a tremendous impact on their teens safety, said Robert L. Darbelnet, president and CEO of AAA. Teen Driver Safety Week provides an opportunity for parents to focus on teen driver safety and take practical steps that can reduce teen driver crashes. AAA created a list of ten things parents can do to help keep their teen drivers safe all year long.

Know Your Teen

Not all teens are ready to drive at the same age. Teenagers mature, develop emotionally and become responsible at different ages Parents need to truly know their teen in order to determine when their teen is ready to drive.
Ads by Google

Energy Efficient Driving Pushing fuel efficiency limits. See Shell Eco-marathon.

www.shell.com/ecomarathon_asia
Car insurance quotes Take Charge Of Your Future With PRUlife Ready. Talk To Us Today.

www.prudential.com.my/PRUlifeReady
Be a Responsible Role Model
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Parents driving behavior directly influence the driving actions of their teens. AAA Research has found that, when using the number of collisions and

traffic tickets as criteria, the parents of teens involved in crashes were more likely to have poor driving records than the parents of collision-free teens.

Choose Quality Driving School

Driving can be a risky activity for teens and warrants professional instruction. It's essential for parents to find a driving school with current curricula and professionally trained instructors.

Practice Makes Better Teen Drivers

Supervised driving sessions with parents can provide teens with opportunities to enhance learning, reinforce proper driving techniques and skills, and receive constructive feedback from the people who care most about their safety and success. AAA offers a parent coaching program called Teaching Your Teens To Drive, to assist parents.

No Teen Passengers At Night

Teen drivers' chances of crashing increase with each additional teen passenger. Parents need to make sure they know who is driving with their teen at all times. Teen crash rates spike at night and most nighttime crashes occur between 9 p.m. and midnight.

Read This Next

Teen Driver Safety Tips for Teen Driver Safety Young Drivers Avoid Accidents with Hi-Tech Tools

Teens Need Sleep

Teens need about nine hours of sleep every night, but many teens fall short due to the combination of early-morning school start times and homework, sports, after-school jobs and other activities. Lack of sleep negatively affects vision, hand-eye coordination, reaction time and judgment.

Eliminate Distractions
Cell phones and text messaging have rightly gotten significant media and legislative attention as hazardous distractions for teen drivers. 1/3 of states have recently banned cell phone use by new teen drivers. Parents should make it a strict rule in their households, too.

Create a Contract
A parent-teen driving agreement with rules, conditions, restrictions and consequences of teens driving written down in advance establishes driving as a privilege, and not something to be taken lightly. Parents should establish rules and consequences that they and their teens agree upon that

extend beyond state laws. If the teen breaks a family driving rule, consequences should be enforced. Proper driving behavior should be encouraged and rewarded with additional liberties.

Discuss and Review

Parental involvement and communication is critical in the prevention of teen-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. Designate a time each week to address concerns (both parent and teen) and review the teens driving performance.

Make Smart Vehicle Choices

As the family member most likely to crash, a teen should drive the safest vehicle the family owns. Things to consider are vehicle type (sedans are generally safer than sports cars, SUVs and pickup trucks), size (larger vehicles fare better in crashes than smaller vehicles) and safety technology (front and side air bags, anti-lock brakes and stability control systems).

Read more at Suite101: 10 Safe Driving Tips for Teens: How to Keep Your Teenager Safe on the Road | Suite101.com http://marymccarthy.suite101.com/10-safe-driving-tips-for-teensa35867.html#ixzz1Vpa6csa0

Driving Tips Especially for Teens

If you are stranded and have a cell phone, dial *47 (*HP) for the nearest Highway Patrol dispatcher or *KTA on the Kansas Turnpike for assistance. From Kansas' seasoned travelers to students fresh out of driver's ed, all drivers need a few reminders now and then. The Kansas Highway Patrol offers the following safety tips for your next safe, successful turn behind the wheel. Always buckle your seat belt! If the car has a passenger-side air bag, do not let children or small teens ride in the front passenger seat. They should be buckled up in the back seat. Never drive after drinking or taking drugs! Even some over-the-counter drugs can impair driving. Check the warning label before taking them. Leave tricks and racing to professional drivers. They are trained and operate under controlled conditions you cannot duplicate. Drive defensively, and obey traffic laws and speed limits. You do not own the road, but you do own a car. Be responsible and protect it, yourself, and others. Watch out for deer, aggressive drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Headlights make you more visible to others. Use them during dusk, night, dawn, inclement weather, and even daylight on long stretches of roadway. Be cautious about assuming what other drivers will do. For example, even if a car's turn signal is on, wait for the driver to commit to the turn before you pull out in front of him or her. Keep at least a two-second distance away from the vehicle ahead of you. If your lane is obstructed, wait for oncoming traffic to clear before you pull around. To avoid a head-on collision, be extremely cautious passing on a two-lane road. Learn what to do during severe weather. Looking away from the road for a few seconds can cause an accident, so avoid distractions. Pull over at a safe spot to talk on the phone, comb your hair or put on make-up, find a different CD, let a bug out of the car, or clean up a mess. If your friends will be distracting passengers, do not drive with them. A loud stereo can be distracting, make you drive faster than you should, and keep you from hearing a siren or horn. Turn it down to be on the safe side. To go somewhere new, get complete directions and understand them before you go.

Do not drive tired. Do not use cruise control late at night or when you are tired. If you fall asleep, the car will crash at that speed. Do not drive when you are angry or upset. Strong emotions can distract you or encourage foolish actions. Learn how to pump your own gas, jump-start a car, and properly maintain your car, e.g. how to check and add oil and windshield washer fluid. If you are stranded and have a cell phone, dial *47 (*HP) for the nearest Highway Patrol dispatcher or *KTA on the Kansas Turnpike for assistance.

Ford Driving Skills for Life urges high school grads to drive safely
It's the time of year when teenagers celebrate the rite of passage called high school graduation and eagerly look forward to continuing their lives in various ways. Unfortunately, those lives can be threatened through unsafe driving practices and turn a celebration into a tragedy. Teens are reminded that this Web site is an excellent resource for this and anytime of the year in helping reduce teen fatalities. Ford Driving Skills for Life has reached 300,000 teens, parents and educators since inception in 2003. Vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of teenagers in America. Check this site now for advice on four key skills - hazard recognition, vehicle handling, space management and speed management. Lack of skill in these areas is the cause of 60 percent of teen crashes. So as you're celebrating this summer and preparing for the year ahead, also remember to be safe on the road ahead.
Insist on safety belt use.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 31,693 passenger vehicle occupants died in traffic crashes during 2004 - and 55% of those killed were NOT wearing their safety belts at the time of the crash. >more
Drinking and driving don't mix.

More than a third of all teen traffic fatalities involve alcohol. It is illegal and highly dangerous for anyone to drive after drinking or using any other drug. No excuses. No second chances. No alcohol, period. It is illegal in all 50 states for anyone under age 21 to drink alcohol, much less drink and drive. >more
Avoid distractions.

Driving demands full attention. Your responsibility is to operate the vehicle safely. Distractions like the radio, cell phones and passengers take your attention away from the road. Remember, increasing distractions increases the risk of a crash. >more
Pay attention to tire safety.

Safe operation of your vehicle requires that your tires be properly inflated. Remember that a tire can lose up to half of its air pressure without appearing flat. Every day before you drive, check your tires. If one looks lower than the others, use a tire gauge to check the pressure of all tires and adjust if required. >more

Safe Driving Tips for Teenagers

X

Karen Curley Based in Boston, Mass., Karen Curley has over 18 years experience in health and nutrition, specializing in healthy diets for children and families. She has received USDA-approved certification in many nutrition topics and has over eight years experience writing on topics that allow families to live active, healthy lifestyles. Curley received a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, majoring in literature and art. By Karen Curley, eHow Contributor

Print this article

Teenage Driver Learning the rules of the road, the motor vehicle laws of your state, and safety guidelines is essential for all new drivers. Teenagers face even more challenges than adult drivers due to lack of experience, peer pressure, and for some, immaturity. Fifty-one percent of fatal accidents involve teenage drivers. Following these safe driving tips can give teenagers the knowledge they need to drive responsibly.

1. Use Common Sense

o

Driving is a new skill that needs to be practiced just like any other. Being a good driver takes hard work, concentration, a responsible attitude, and common sense.

Teens should not let others convince them to do something they know is dangerous.

Causes of Accidents
o

Two of the most common causes of accidents involving teens are speeding and alcohol. Alcohol inhibits the driver's ability to react to an emergency. Teens need to learn that they can never drink before or during driving. Teenager drivers lack the experience to be able to control a car that is traveling fast. Even making a turn while speeding can cause the car to spin out of control or flip over, especially in wet or icy conditions.

Drive Defensively

Drive Defensively It's not enough to drive safely--teens have to watch out for other drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and animals around them. Teach them to check the rearview mirror frequently for dangerous situations behind. Keep their eyes moving to the sides, looking for drivers who might shoot through an intersection, children running from between parked cars, or a pet that escapes from its owner. Keep a safe distance from the car ahead. When a car stops quickly in front of you, push down hard on the brake to let the antilock brake system control the stop. Turn onto the shoulder of the road to avoid a collision if necessary. Always expect other drivers to do something wrong, and you will be ready to act defensively.

Read more: Safe Driving Tips for Teenagers | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5221407_safe-driving-tips-teenagers.html#ixzz1Vpabs2Pi