How You Can Help Your Teens Drive Safer?

When kids reach their teenage years, it seems like there’s suddenly a lot more to worry about. One of those things is having a new driver in the house—and on your auto insurance policy. Though this is typically an exciting time for teens, who are approaching adulthood and the freedoms that come with it, this can also be a scary and stressful time for parents.

Unfortunately, teen drivers have the highest car crash rates as well as the highest rate of injury resulting from car accidents. In part, this is because teenagers have less experience than older drivers. Young people also tend to drive more recklessly than older drivers, putting them at higher risk of causing an accident. The good news, though, is that there are some strategies you can try to help your teen drive more safely.

Understand the Causes of Teen Driving Accidents

Not all accidents can be chalked up to a lack of experience. In fact, it’s pretty easy to pinpoint some of the biggest reasons behind driving accidents involving teenagers.

Eliminate distractions.

These days, one of the biggest culprits is distracted driving. But even though we’re connected 24/7, there’s a time and place for answering calls, texting friends, or checking notifications—and that time and place isn’t while you’re behind the wheel of a car. Cell phones aren’t the only things that can cause distracted driving, either. While it’s important to emphasize the importance of putting the phone down while driving, watch out for other forms of distracted driving, too.

Things like playing music loudly and eating while driving can cause distractions. Applying makeup while driving also diverts attention that should be on the road. Lastly, though your teen will probably enjoy having friends and passengers in the car, it’s important that they don’t let those passengers be too distracting.

Eliminating as many distractions as possible can help your teen drive safer on the road, and can give you a little more peace of mind.

Practice safe driving.

Your teenager has undoubtedly learned about the importance of safe driving, but learning and putting into practice are not the same thing. Other causes of accidents include things like speeding, tailgating others, and general reckless driving. These are harder to prevent, as better driving skills often come with experience. Still, you can spend time on the road with your teen and make sure they’re putting good habits into practice.

Set ground rules.

Overall, some of the most important steps you can take to instill good driving habits is to communicate and set ground rules. Teens have probably heard about the dangers of distracted driving, but facing strict consequences for it is another thing. Implementing a zero-tolerance policy for distracted driving might seem harsh, but chances are they’ll understand the message loud and clear.

Another thing you can do is to set a limit on the number of passengers your young driver can transport. A car full of rowdy teens is a recipe for distraction. Limiting your driver to a passenger or two can help cut down on the noise and distractions tearing their focus from the road.

Safe driving doesn’t just benefit them, it benefits everyone around them, too. (And sometimes, it can even benefit your insurance premiums in the form of discounts for good grades and good driving.) Still, you might want to make sure your policy is up to date with all the coverage you and your young driver need. Luckily, we know just how to help with that.