Tips for Teaching Young Drivers To Be Safe This Holiday Season

By David Lenton

The first months and years that your young driver is out on the road can be nerve wracking, especially the holiday season when mother nature offers unpredictable snow storms making roads more dangerous than usual. The key to reducing automobile accidents by young people is to make sure they have plenty of education and put it to use through prolonged periods of supervised driving. While the government standards are, arguably, not high enough for new drivers, parents can help their teen by creating and enforcing rules for driving so that they can feel comfortable knowing that their child is safe out on the road.

Safe Driving Tips for Young Drivers

1. Make sure that your teen is driving a safe and reliable car. It’s a common tendency for teens to drive old, second-hand cars which have seen their better days, but make sure that it’s been checked out by a mechanic to ensure that if an accident does happen, your child will be adequately protected.

2. Always wear seat belts. If you have taught this to your child from his youth and set a good example yourself, this should be habit for your child. If they tend to forget, place a little note on the wheel of their car offering them a gentle reminder to buckle up. Also insist that any passengers wear seat belts as well.

3. Limit nighttime driving. Teens who drive between 11 pm and 5 am have a much higher chance of being in an accident because it’s dark so their vision is effected and they are more likely to be tired and fall asleep at the wheel.

4. Don’t allow music to be on. There’s enough to worry about outside of the car than to try singing along to the latest pop song as well.

5. No talking on mobiles. Reaching for a ringing mobile, turning in on and participating in the conversation all take away from a young driver’s ability to pay attention to the road and how they are driving. Insist that your teen pull over if they believe they really must take the call at the moment and make sure that you set a good example by not being on your mobile while driving.

6. Put a limit on passengers, especially friends. When your teen is driving with you he may be careful and attentive to the roads but replace you with a few friends and it’s likely to be a different scenario. It’s not unusual for parents to only allow young drivers to be alone or only transport immediate family members. Additionally, make it clear to your teen if you do not want him to be a passenger in cars driven by other new drivers.

Winter Driving Tips

Make sure that your teen understands these and has basic knowledge of how the car runs and where to find the battery so that if they end up in an undesirable situation, they can get a handle on the situation while they wait for help to arrive.

1. Whenever going out together, let your teen drive so that they get more supervised practice during winter weather conditions.

2. Use winter tires instead of all-season tires as they help your car to stop faster and stay on the road better.

3. Change your wiper blades to a winter model which will help keep snow off your windshield better, increasing visibility.

4. Teach your teen how to test the battery. Batteries should be tested periodically as they can loose their charge more quickly in cold weather.

5. Always be alert, more so when you are in unfamiliar areas or ones with hills and intersections. Go through intersections slowly and cautiously, especially when turning.

6. Keep a larger than normal distance from other cars when driving in snow, icy rain or fog. On bad roads it could take up to ten times as long to stop as when the roads are clear.

7. Turn on your headlights whenever your wipers are on. Alert other drivers to your presence on the road by having your lights on.

8. Have an emergency kit with you at all times and update it for winter. Make sure to have blankets, boots, gloves, water, dried fruits and nuts, back up mobile and list of emergency contacts, shovel, torch, jumper cables and a tow strap so that you are well prepared in any emergency.

With careful preparation and instruction you can teach your young driver how to be a responsible driver during the holidays. There is no substitute for practice and modeling good habits, so whenever you are able accompany your teen for drives so that both you and they gain confidence in their driving abilities.