Teen Terror Taking the Wheel

Teen Terror Taking The Wheel

For many
young adults a driver’s license is the first step toward adulthood. Freedom
gained through this new privilege will enable your teen to learn
responsibility; but many risks are associated with it as well. Keeping them
safe behind the wheel until adulthood can prove to be a difficult task.
Consider this: Teens are less likely than adults to use safety belts. More than
56 percent of teens use cell phones while driving. And 54 percent of teens
speed up at a yellow light. When your teen is behind the wheel make sure you have Connecticut car insurance. Additionally look at Hartford disability insurance to make sure you and your teen are protected in case of an accident that disables one of you. 

The following tips are for parents to
help them help their teens travel safely when they are operating a vehicle:

·        
Practice their way to perfect- Supplement your teen’s formal driving
education by supervising practice driving and emphasizing safe driving decision
making. Practice sessions should include a variety of situations, including
heavy traffic, highway driving and nighttime driving.

·        
Learn the law- Become familiar with your state’s
“rules of the road” and enforce them at home. Enroll your child in a driver
education course.

·        
At home, at night, safe and sound- Most nighttime fatal accidents for
young drivers occur between 9 P.M. and midnight. Keeping your teens off the
road at night is safer for them and will help you sleep easier.

·        
Prevent driving distractions- Crash rates increase by 50 percent
with just one teen passenger and 400 percent with three or more teens in the car.
Limit the number of passengers with your teen driver. Mandate cell phone use
only when the car is parked. It’s the law in Connecticut that you may not drive non licensed family members that are not either a legal guardian or parent, for the first 6 months of having your license. You MAY NOT drive friends in your car legally until you have had your license for one full year or until you turn 18.

·        Good driving starts with you- You are a role model for your teen.
It is important that you demonstrate safe driving practices at all times.

·        
Insist on safety belt use – Make safety belt use a requirement
for driving and get into the habit of using it yourself, it saves lives!

·        
Alcohol has no place in the car or
out- Nearly a
quarter of teen drivers killed in car accident were intoxicated. As it is illegal
in all states in the U.S. for a minor to purchase alcohol, a teen driver should
never be under the influence. Having any alcoholic beverages in the car open or closed is illegal while a person under the age of 21 is driving. It is however legal to drive someone who is under the influence home if you are under age; take this safe legal alternative rather than driving home inebriated yourself.