Five Safety Tips for Your Teen Driver

Few things are as frightening to a parent as handing the car keys over to a teenager, and with good reason. Accident rates for teen drivers, especially males, are far higher than for almost all other groups. While there is no way to fully protect your teenage driver, there are some things you can do to improve his or her odds on the highways.

First and foremost, be very vocal about your opposition to drinking and driving. My father told me I would not drive again until I became a legal adult if I was ever caught driving after drinking, and I believed him. Thus, although my friends and I did consume alcohol before we were adults, neither I or any of them drove after drinking.

And, set a good example. I never...not once...saw my father drive after having more than one drink.

Make sure your teen driver knows that following too closely is the cause of hundreds of thousands of avoidable accidents every year. And, teach him or her that following the two second rule...passing landmarks no sooner than two seconds after the car you are following, will virtually eliminate the possibility of rear ending another automobile.

Studies have proven that the more teenagers there are in a car, the higher the risk of accident. Limiting your teen to one or two passengers, especially when he or she first starts to drive, can reduce risk.

No matter how well your teenager appears to do in a driver education program, evaluate his or her skills yourself, supplement the driver education instruction with your own if necessary, and do not let him or her drive without adult supervision until you feel he or she has mastered basic driving skills.

Like alcohol, cell phones and driving are a dangerous combination. Encourage your teen to pull over when using a phone.

Finally, do whatever is necessary to make your teenager understand the importance of seat belts. I remember a movie called "Signal 30" that was shown to everyone in my high school. The horrible accident scenes may or may not have frightened us to the degree they were intended to, but I do remember that my friends and I were impressed by a veteran Indiana State Policeman in the movie who said he had never been to an accident scene in which a passenger wearing a seat belt had been killed.

Teenagers, as any parent knows, tend to feel invincible. And, they nearly always have an inflated idea of their driving skills. Therefore, it is important to keep preaching the above and to provide ongoing driving instructions during at least the first year your teen is on the road.