Teen Driving: Be a Parent in the Know

Most teens believe they are invincible, however when it comes to driving a vehicle, they need to understand their responsibility not only to themselves, but to other drivers and their passengers.

The Safe Teen Driving Club and TeenDriving.com may be a place to start with your new driver.

Located just outside of Jacksonville, The Safe Teen Driving Club, Inc., is based in Atlanta, Georgia has been chartered to help parents educate, mentor, manage and monitor their teen drivers. They provide parents of teen drivers with tools, services and technology solutions they need to monitor the driving habits of their young drivers. With the help of parents, teen drivers can enjoy enhanced safety, security and protection.

The Safe Teen Driving Club and TeenDriving.com has some parenting tips for parents that are dealing with new drivers.  Now, during a holiday weekend, it is a great reminder that parents need to remind their teenagers to drive safely and one of the biggest reminders is no cell phones while driving.  Which includes no texting and driving.
Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of teens deaths on the roads.
General tips for parents of teen drivers:
  • Always wear your seat belt--and make sure all passengers buckle up, too.
  • Adjust your car's headrest to a height behind your head--not your neck--to minimize whiplash in case you're in an accident.
  • Never try to fit more people in the car than you have seatbelts for them to use.
  • Obey the speed limits, Going too fast gives you less time to stop or react. Excess speed is one of the main causes of teenage accidents.
  • Don't run red lights.
  • Use turn signals to indicate your intention to turn or to change lanes. Turn it on to give the cars behind you enough time to react before you take the action. Also, make sure the signals turns off after you've completed the action.
  • When light turns green, make sure intersection clears before you go.
  • Don't drive like you own the road; drive like you own the car.
  • Make sure your windshield is clean. At sun rise and sun set, light reflecting off your dirty windshield can momentarily blind you from seeing what's going on.
  • Drive into your garage straight, not on an angle. Another teen thought her car would straighten out before she got inside, but instead she dented the car and broke the molding on the garage.
  • Make sure your car has gas in it. Don't ride around with the gauge on empty--who knows where you might get stranded.
  • Don't drink and drive, and don't ride with anyone who has been drinking. Call parents or friends to take you home if you need a ride.
  • Don't take drugs or drive if you've taken any. Don't ride with anyone who has been using drugs. Even some over the counter drugs can make you drowsy. Check label for warnings.

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