Thank you to the Allstate Foundation and National Safety Council for sponsoring this post. Check out Drive it Home, a website by and for parents, dedicated to keeping our teen drivers safe.
Last week my mom, friend Rachel, and I had the pleasure of attending an event with Allstate Foundation! They teamed up with the National Safety Council to launch the Drive it Home Teen Safe Driving Series and featured a hilarious comedic group. It was such a fun way to address “safe teen driving”. Plus I won a $25 gas card, so you can’t beat that! Though my babies are not yet teenagers (thank the Lord, I am SO not ready for that), it really made me start to think and worry about what might happen when they are.
(blurry iPhone picture. sigh.)
Because the first 12 months after getting a driver’s license are incredibly dangerous. In fact 50% of the teens in high school will be in a car crash. FIFTY PERCENT. That is just startling.
Studies show that the three most common errors, accounting for about half of these crashes, are:
1. Lack of scanning the roadway
2. Driving too fast for conditions
3. Distraction by something inside or outside the vehicle
So how do you stop your child from becoming apart of that sad statistic? Get involved (or prepare yourself for when the time comes) and stay involved in your teen’s driving. If I ever decide to let my children get behind the wheel of a car these are some things I’ll need to remember. (Totally learned these at the Drive It Home event…not my own idea, ha!)
FOUR Driving Tips For Parents:
1. Work with your teen to develop your own Parent – Teen Agreement. Did you know they even had such a thing?! This is perfect for you and your teen to sit down and agree upon driving terms, allotted times, places, and conditions. Lay it all out, hear your teen, and come to an agreement. What a cool idea. Though I think my kids agreement will be more of a “these are the only ways you can drive” term…take them or eave them, ha!
2. Practice with them. Drive with them often. Not just before they get their license, but after. It’s important to check in on their driving every so often to make sure they are still being safe. Sometimes it’s easy for them to forget what they should do and just do what seems right in the moment. They are our children, let’s make sure they are careful with their lives and others.
3. Set a good example. This one is a tough one. We need to drive the way we want our teen to drive. They watch us, talk on the phone, text, and even eat while driving. If they see us succeed in such juggling abilities, they think they can too. Same goes for speeding, running red lights, and tailgating. Everyday I’m reminded of how much my children watch what I do…and copy it. It’s scary, ha!
Check out driveithome.org for more resources, statistics, and tips on teenage driving.
If you have/have had a teenage driver, what is one word of advice that you’d share with me?! I’m going to have FIVE! aahhhh!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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