Tips -Keep Your Teens Safe While Driving

Most teenagers count the days until they are eligible for their drivers’ license. This is such an exciting time for them. But this new found freedom needs to be tempered with a plenty of guidance and experience. Teenagers are at higher risk of an accident in their first 6 months. Starting your teens off right with good offensive driving habits will go along way to keeping them safe and keeping your car insurance down. Of course you need to spend some quality time teaching them  the fine art of driving. Actions speak louder than words, so be a good example. If they observe bad driving habits from parents they will most likely model the same behavior. You should consider enrolling them in a certified driver’s education course.

Teach your teen to eliminate distractions like texting while driving. Or things like putting on makeup, or looking at a GPS, or checking out an accident while driving.  Having other teen passengers can be a huge distraction, for every additional teenage passenger the chance of an accident goes up.  Consider limiting other teen passengers until they have enough experience.

Parties are part of the teen experience but let them know you will not tolerate driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Any drinking even below legal limits can greatly increase the risk for an accident.

Teach your teen to keep a safe distance from the car ahead of them. Leave plenty of room to make adjustments – just in case.  Also, remind them to slow down and adjust to weather and road conditions.  And don’t forget to buckle up before you even start the car!

Because  Oklahoma’s teenage drivers have more crashes than any other age group, Oklahoma has a GDL (Graduated Driver License) program. Click here to read more on GDL.

Prepare your teen for safe driving for their safety and everyone else on the road in Oklahoma. If you would like to discuss your car insurance needs please give us a call.