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According to statistics, one-fifth of killed or seriously injured collisions recorded in the UK involved a teen driver. Cars offer your teenager great convenience, comfort, and independence. However, it would be difficult to enjoy these benefits if your child is not educated on the need to practice safe driving. So, how can you encourage your teen to practice safe driving? Below are a few tips to guide you.
- Be a good example
Children learn and pick up their parents’ habits, which would be no different from your child. If you want your child to practice safe driving, they must see you do it first. Therefore, you should ensure that your teenager sees you being careful and alert behind the wheel. Avoid making or receiving calls, texting, eating and drinking, and listening to loud music while you drive. You should also watch how you deal with stressful driving situations around your children. For example, what to do if your tires should go flat or how to handle an irresponsible driver.
- Ensure your teen is complying with traffic laws
For your teen to practice safe driving, they would first need to follow the rules established by law. For example, your child must be of the right legal age to be eligible to drive, which is 17 in the UK. You should also ensure they have taken driving lessons and obtained a driver’s licence. You must also ensure they and their vehicles have adequate insurance coverage to ensure their safety during an accident. You should also refresh your memory on various traffic laws and the consequences of violating these laws. Ensure your teen also reads these traffic laws and have open discussion on them to help them better understand the law and how they should comply with it.
- Teach them how to drive in challenging road conditions
Bad weather, poor visibility, or slippery roads, your teenager wouldn’t always be faced with clear sunny skies throughout their driving experience. Therefore, your teenager needs to navigate the roads no matter the conditions they are presented with. When this doesn’t happen, they can easily become nervous and afraid. This, in turn, puts them in an unsafe position. To fix this issue, gradually ease them into various challenging conditions. For instance, you can take them on a quick ride during the rain to get them accustomed to roads during such times and the caution they must take in this regard.
- Let them know the consequences of unsafe driving
Naturally, teenagers are curious and have a false sense of maturity and invincibility. More often than not, it is for this reason that several teenagers end up in unfortunate situations on the road. As a parent, it is important to shed light on the possible issues if safety is not practiced. Instead of trying to scare them with gruesome stories and statistics, you should have candid conversations with your child. During such talks, be open about what constitutes unsafe driving and how to prevent or manage situations that may lead to unsafe driving.
Get them a safe car
You don’t want your child speeding around in a flash sportscar, so buying a safe and reliable used car is a great way to encourage them to drive safely. Furthermore, having a car of their own should make them more responsible and ensure they are more likely to take care of it compared to the family car which might be a little too powerful for them. If you’re planning on getting your teen a car soon, there are still plenty of Citroen Berlingo’s for sale that would make a fantastic first car.
