Keys to Keeping Young Drivers Safe

Follow these strategies to steer your teen out of harm’s way

Happily handing over the keys

When you’ve laid the groundwork, you can trust a young driver, as Joseph Benko of Catasauqua trusts daughter Alyssa, 16.

To your 16-year-old, that driver’s license is a ticket to freedom. To you, it’s a milestone of a different kind—a new limit on your ability to protect your child in his peak risk-taking years.

Want to guide your teen toward a lifetime of responsible driving? Begin early. “The more skills and road time young drivers have at the start, the better decisions they’ll make,” says adolescent medicine specialist Barbara Katz, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. These tips will help pave the way:

Draw up a parent/teen driving contract. Important topics to cover include passenger restrictions, curfews, checking-in with you, seat-belt use, bad weather, speeding and maintenance obligations. It’s an agreement that defines both what the law says and what the family’s rules are.

Take a test drive on the information superhighway. Steer your son or daughter to Crossroads, an interactive Web site geared to young drivers in Pennsylvania. It covers such issues as road rules, safe and unsafe driving practices, and the consequences of poor decision-making and carelessness. Some of the questions actually appear on the state driver’s exam.

Warn ‘em to stay sober. Today’s teens are as likely to drive under the influence of marijuana as alcohol, says Diana Heckman, executive director of the ALERT Partnership for substance abuse prevention. The good news: parents are the most important influence on teens when it comes to risky behaviors.

Put ‘em in the safest car. Assigning the family’s “tank” to a teen driver can give you peace of mind and help lower insurance premiums. The car should have a driver’s side airbag and a good safety rating, and be easy to maneuver but large enough to offer protection in an accident. “Avoid rollover-prone SUVs and high-performance cars that fuel a teenager’s sense of invincibility,” Katz says.

Be a virtual back-seat driver. A new generation of black boxes (similar to airplane flight data recorders) allows parents to monitor from a distance how their teens are driving. Not only do these devices deter bad habits, they offer a legitimate reason for teens to say no to risky behavior under peer pressure. Use this as a last resort—it’s best if you can operate on a basis of trust. Reward progress with increased freedom.

Beware of the warning signs of fatigue. Yawns, poor concentration, irritability and hyperactivity are the red flags of sleep deprivation. “Young people ideally should have 8 1/2-9 hours a night,” Katz says. Keep in mind that a teen working long hours to finance a car could be paying a high price with her health. If so, it’s time to renegotiate the scope of her financial commitment. You’ll both sleep better for the effort.

Want to Know More about raising responsible teen drivers? Click here for a list of useful web site.

ARTICLE TOOLS: