School’s Out! Prepare Your Teen Driver with safety tips from NHTSA
Prepare your child for a safe driving experience with these safety tips from the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration).
Summer has arrived! This means endless trips to the pool, to the lake, to friend’s houses, to lunch, to the beach…you get the idea. If you have a teen driver, summer means they have all day to spend in the car with their friends. It’s a big shift from just commuting to school in the morning and afternoon. According to an NHTSA study, ‘teens were two-and-a-half times more likely to engage in potentially risky behavior when driving with a teenage peer versus driving alone. The likelihood increased to three times when traveling with multiple passengers‘. This is the scenario you’re facing every day during the summer. So prepare yourself with these tips:
- Practice the ‘5 to Drive’:
- No Cell Phone – not just no texting!
- No Extra Passengers – check your state rules on passenger limitations for teen drivers
- No Speeding
- No Alcohol
- Always buckle-up – drivers and passengers!
- Set your own ground rules and consequences should they be broken.
- Be a good example – 41% of teens say their parents continue unsafe driving behaviors even after their teens ask them to stop. If you do it, your kids will do it too.
For more information on how to educate your teen about safe driving, visit http://www.safercar.gov/parents/TeenDriving/teendriving.htm
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, please contact The Cooper Firm for a complimentary case consultation.