How to Prepare Your Teen for Driving

Having a child that is close to obtaining their driver’s license is arguably the most stressful event for a parent. Many parents worry about their children operating their vehicles safely when they first obtain their driver’s licenses. The best thing a parent can do when their teen is about to receive their driver’s license is to prepare them for all the hazards they may encounter and how to responsibly and safely make it to their destination. It’s logical to believe that familiarity leads to confidence and preparedness reduces panic. 

We understand how important it is for a teen to be fully prepared to hit the road without their parents in the vehicle. That is why we have compiled a list of the best ways to help prepare teens for driving safely.

Make Sure They Know Their Vehicle

Regardless of if a teen is going to be driving their own car or their parents, it is important that they familiarize themselves with all aspects of the vehicle. This will provide the teen with confidence and ensures they will not be fumbling with certain aspects of the vehicle while operating it on the roadways. Knowing all aspects of the vehicle will also help them to not hesitate in an emergency situation and can prevent car accidents.

Make Sure They Are Aware Of Driving Basics

Driving safely around town or on a quick trip to the store is just a matter of learning a few things. A driver’s next major task after understanding turn signals and merging lanes is parking. A teen will need to know how to safely and responsibly park everywhere, in all sorts of situations, and in many different ways. The best way to ensure they are prepared for this is to teach them how to make a left and right 90-degree turns, back into parking spots, and how to parallel park. This will help reduce a teen's fear behind the wheel by allowing them to grow their driving skill set.

Teach Them How Important Wearing A Seatbelt Is

The most important aspect of teaching a teen to drive is instilling the need to wear a seatbelt at all times within the vehicle. Ego, fear of judgment, and peer pressure are common reasons why teenagers do not choose to wear a seatbelt. However, 51% of the 23,824 traffic fatalities in 2020 were not wearing a seatbelt. It is estimated that around 14,955 lives were saved by seatbelts, and an additional 2,549 lives could have been saved had they been wearing a seatbelt when the car accident occurred. That is why it is essential to make sure teenagers understand how important it is to wear a seatbelt while driving or being a passenger in a motor vehicle. A parent can do this by always having their child wear a seatbelt while riding in the car from a young age, as well as showing them how often seatbelts save lives. 

Teach Them The Proper Way To Handle Road Rage

It’s happened to all of us. At least once in a driver’s lifetime, they will experience road rage while operating a vehicle on the roadways. It’s important to teach teenage drivers how to handle this safely before they encounter the problem. When another driver on the road goes into a rage they can cause serious accidents and even kill someone just by driving erratically and emotionally. Teaching a teen to stay away from these drivers and to put as much space between the two vehicles could save their life one day. It’s also necessary to teach them to report these incidences as the negligent driver will only keep being negligent if they are not caught. Teach them to pull over, call the police and report their negligent driving as well as any other information they can provide to ensure the police have the best chance at holding this driver responsible.