When a child becomes old enough to get a learner’s permit for driving, a whole new world of worry begins for the parents. Driving is a rite of passage here, and teenagers look forward to getting their licenses to enjoy the freedom that driving brings. Parents worry about the risks, and rightly so. Here are four tips to keep your children safe while driving.
Use Technology to Monitor Driving Habits
Just under the dashboard of your car is an on-board diagnostic (OBD) port. Information can be obtained from this port including everything from speed to hard braking. Various companies are now making devices to plug into the OBD port that can report speed, routes, current location and more through smartphone app. You can set a geofence that notifies you any time your teen’s vehicle leaves a permitted driving zone as well as being notified any time speed limits you set are exceeded.
Sign Young Drivers Up for Advanced Driving Lessons
There are courses out there that teach specialty driving tactics that will give your young driver many more skills than can be learned through high school driver’s education. There are courses that can mimic real-life situations of emergency braking maneuvers, controlling slides, avoiding collisions and more. A trained driver is a better driver, but typical teen driver’s safety courses only involve common everyday driving situations such as merging and accelerating to highway speeds. The next level is to actually experience what it takes to handle an emergency situation when driving.
Get Adequate Insurance
When you add a young driver to your family automobile insurance policy, there may be a temptation to lower coverage amounts to make premiums more affordable. You need to consider financial responsibility if an accident occurs. Not only paying for damages to others, but also to protect your own young driver. It is not a hidden fact that insurance companies seek to pay as little as possible, but vehicles and medical expenses can be outrageous. When you add a young driver to your insurance, take the time to fully review exactly what you are and are not covered for. Having good insurance also makes the legal process easier if you end up needing a lawyer, like those at Clearfield & Kofsky.
Buy a Safe Car
The first car a young driver has is often a hand-me-down or used model. Safety technology in automobiles advances for every model year. Before handing over Grandma’s old car she only drove occasionally to your young driver as a gift, you should compare the safety technology it has against what is available for the newest model year. Newer car models can provide lane departure warnings, blind spot monitoring and even emergency braking to avoid a frontal collision. Newer cars have backup cameras and more advanced airbag systems as well. Take the time to learn safety tech that is available to protect your young driver and then decide if the car you are going to give them to use is satisfactory.
Also, be sure to insist on compliance. Make it understood from the beginning that driving is a privilege and not a right. This is actually part of the basis of driver’s licensing in states. Drivers must prove competence and compliance with laws. Otherwise, driving privileges are suspended by the licensing authority. You can suspend and reinstate driving privileges immediately as a parent.
