For your teenager, getting a driver’s license means more freedom. But for you as a parent, your teen getting a driver’s license makes you hesitant, especially since so many teens get into fatal accidents every year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the second leading cause of death in the U.S. among teenagers is car accidents. The following tips can help your teenager develop safe driving habits to potentially prevent serious accidents in the future.
1. Invest in driver education
Your teenage driver will feel more confident if they are familiar with the rules of the road. Invest in a driver’s education course through your child’s school or through your community before your teenager gets his or her driver’s license.
2. Help your teen get plenty of practice
Having experience driving in a variety of situations can help your teenager drive safely and know how to avoid injurious crashes. Let your teen drive with you as much as possible, and give them practice driving at night, in rain, on the freeway, on city streets, etc.
3. Set a good example
Whether or not you notice, your teenager watches how you drive. Set a good example by never using your cellphone while driving, following the speed limit and other road rules and wearing your seatbelt.
Once your teenager gets his or her license, you may also want to set strict rules and boundaries for driving. For example, you may want to only allow driving during certain hours or prohibit driving around friends.