Before the Learner's Permit
It’s never too early to start teaching your child about safe driving. Encourage your son or daughter to think like a driver and talk about how to be safe.
Drive home the message on distractions:
- Point out drivers that demonstrate risky behavior, such as talking on cell phones, and explain why it's unsafe.
- Teach your child that it’s okay to tell passengers: “Please don’t distract me while I’m driving.”
- Practice what you preach: Pull over to use your cell phone or have a passenger answer it instead.
- Don’t change CDs or the radio or reach for a map. Pull over and explain the need to devote your full attention to the road.
Use this checklist:
- Always wear a seat belt and insist that passengers do.
- Come to a complete stop at stop signs and signals.
- Keep a safe following and stopping distance.
- Obey the posted speed limit.
- Use your turn signal for changing lanes and when turning.
- Treat other drivers with courtesy.
- Avoid distractions that call your attention from the road.
Go over the risks
Talk with your child about the consequences of unsafe driving behaviors and other hazards common to a new driver.
Risks due to age and inexperience
Hazard perception is a particular problem for young drivers. Teens have not yet developed the ability to "scan" far ahead and to the sides as they drive. They also don't detect hazards, such as pedestrians or roadside objects, as quickly as adults.Driving at night, in poor weather, or while distracted by the radio or cell phone all increase a teen's risk for a crash. Driving with passengers is a common problem for teen drivers. According to the National Young Driver Survey, 94 percent of teens report distractions from teen passengers. Nearly half said that teen passengers commonly urge them to speed.
Risks due to driving conditions or situations
Distractions are a particularly dangerous risk factor for new drivers. As a rule of thumb, a driver's eyes should not leave the road for more than two to three seconds at a time.Encourage your teen to drive with extra caution at night, in the rain, and when road conditions are poor. It's also important to leave greater distance between the car your child is driving and the next car in front when it’s dark or raining. This greater distance will increase teen driver reaction time in case the car in front unexpectedly stops or slows down.
Risks due to driver behavior
Not wearing seat belts, drinking and driving, speeding, using a cell phone, and carrying other teen passengers (even just one) all greatly raise a young driver’s crash risk. Talk about the risks and consequences of these behaviors. Inform your child of the penalties of not following the rules of the road, such as relinquishing certain driving privileges.
