As a teenage son or daughter begins to learn how to drive, you’ll want to do everything to ensure their safety. One of the best ways to keep your teen safe behind the wheel: inform them of the potential dangers on the road and provide them with additional knowledge to help them become the best driver possible. Not only will you be able to bond with them, but you will also be teaching them a major life moment.

Parent tips to help teach your teen driver

Here are some useful tips that you should teach your teen driver as they learn how to drive.

Limit Distractions

Distractions while trying to drive can increase chances for accidents. Explain about the potential dangers of listening to loud music. Loud music causes distractions. It also muffles emergency vehicle sirens and sounds, causing  your teen to be in the way of because the loud music makes the emergency sounds impossible to hear.

Talking and texting on smartphones should also be avoided while driving since many drivers have gotten into fatal accidents while doing these activities. When your teen is first learning how to drive, they should limit the number of passengers inside the vehicle so excess talking, shouting, and laughing don’t interfere with their concentration.

Practice Driving in Safer Areas

Trying to learn how to drive on the road can be an intimidating experience for some teens. Have a safer place for your teen to practice their skills if they’re initially scared behind the wheel. Empty parking lots are often great for practicing standard and parallel parking along with some of the other basics of driving.

Believe it or not, a cemetery can also be an excellent place to practice driving because of the paved pathways that resemble roads. It provides a chance to help them practice:

• steering the vehicle
• stopping at intersections
• performing other driving tasks

What to Do After an Accident

Your teen should know what to do in the immediate aftermath of an accident. When an accident involves another driver, you must exchange:

• insurance details
• driver’s license numbers
• phone numbers

Make sure your teen takes pictures and video of the damage to the vehicles with their Smartphone.

If your family lives in Maryland, for example, and your teen was injured in the accident, it’s important to contact a car accident lawyer in Maryland as soon as possible to discuss all legal options.

Practice Driving in Good Weather

Rain, snow, and other harsh environmental elements can make learning how to drive much more difficult for your teenager. Glaring sunlight could also limit visibility and interfere with learning correct driving techniques.

It’s best for your teen to practice driving on days when the weather is dry and not too hot, cold, or sunny until they get a better understanding of how to operate a vehicle. Instead of driving at night, or dusk, it’s best to drive in the afternoon hours when starting out.

The Importance of Vehicle Maintenance

Whether your teen will be driving your vehicle or will have a vehicle of their own, you should teach them the importance of maintaining the vehicle regularly. As RealSimple.com explains, your teen should know the schedules for oil changes, battery replacements, and tire rotations. It’s also a good idea to teach your son or daughter about the different fluid leaks and how they can affect the vehicle’s performance.

Learn the Different Road Signs

In addition to traffic lights and stop signs, your teen should be knowledgeable of the other signs on the road that they will encounter. It’s important to learn about the signs that indicate when to yield, detour, and reduce speed. Signs that indicate a winding or potentially slick road ahead should also be studied and learned. Your teen should additionally be aware of the signs that signify a dead-end road ahead and lanes for right or left turns only.

Instill the necessary knowledge of the rules of the road. It’ll help your teen master the skills needed to become an excellent driver. With your guidance and understanding, your teen will have an easier time learning how to drive correctly.

About the Writer: Regina Thomas is a Southern California native who spends her time as a freelance writer and loves cooking at home when she can find the time. Regina loves reading, music, hanging with her friends and family along with her Golden Retriever, Sadie. She loves adventure and living every day to the fullest.