Parenting Guru

Few things are as frightening to a parent as handing the car keys over to a teenager, and with good reason. Accident rates for teen drivers, especially males, are far higher than for almost all other groups. While there is no way to fully protect your teenage driver, there are some things you can do to improve his or her odds on the highways.

Parents should express, in no uncertain terms, a no tolerance policy for driving after consuming alcohol. I was a pretty challenging teenager to raise, but I never drove after drinking because my father made me realize how badly I would feel if I ever hurt anyone and because I was convinced he meant it when he said I would never again drive while living under his roof if it was discovered that I drove after drinking.

And, practice what you preach. If your children see or hear about you driving after drinking, they’re not likely to take your warnings seriously.

Teach your children about the two second rule; the rule that says you should be at least two seconds behind the car in front of you. And teach them that by counting to two when the car you’re trailing passes a landmark you can confirm that you are following at a safe distance.

As you might guess, research has shown that the more teens there are riding in a car, the more likely the car is to be involved in an accident. Thus, limiting a new driver to one or two passengers may be worth considering.

Parents should not assume that passing a driver education course is a guarantee of competency. In fact, very few students fail driver education courses, however unskilled they may be. Ride with your teenager, assess his or her skills, and provide instruction as necessary.

Driving while speaking on the telephone has proven to be so dangerous that it is illegal in several states and legislation to make it illegal is pending in many others. Make staying off the phone while driving a no exceptions rule.

Finally, do whatever is necessary to make your teenager understand the importance of seat belts. I remember a movie called “Signal 30″ that was shown to everyone in my high school. The horrible accident scenes may or may not have frightened us to the degree they were intended to, but I do remember that my friends and I were impressed by a veteran Indiana State Policeman in the movie who said he had never been to an accident scene in which a passenger wearing a seat belt had been killed.

Teenagers, as any parent knows, tend to feel invincible. And, they nearly always have an inflated idea of their driving skills. Therefore, it is important to keep preaching the above and to provide ongoing driving instructions during at least the first year your teen is on the road.

Daniel Z. Kane is an educator and a parent. He has created websites on online colleges and online degrees.