Parent-Teen Driving Agreement
Having regular conversations about safety, practicing driving together, and leading by example go a long way in ensuring your teen makes smart decisions when they get behind the wheel.
But there’s another simple step you can take to get on the same page about your family’s rules of the road. Create a ParentTeen Driving Agreement that puts your rules in writing to clearly set expectations and limits. Work with your teen to outline hazards to avoid and consequences for breaking rules. Keep it on the fridge and update it as your teen gains experience and more driving privileges.
DRIVER INEXPERIENCE
- Crash risk is highest in the first year a teen has their license. Provide at least 30 to 50 hours of supervised driving practice over at least six months.Practice on a variety of roads, at different times of day, and in varied weather and traffic conditions.
- Stress the importance of continually scanning for potential hazards including other vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
TEEN PASSENGERS
- Crash risk goes up when teens drive with other teens in the car.
- Follow your state’s Graduated Driver Licensing system for passenger restrictions. If your state doesn’t have such a rule, limit the number of teen passengers your teen can have to zero or one.
- Keep this rule for at least the first six months that your teen is driving.
NIGHTTIME DRIVING
- For all ages, fatal crashes are more likely to occur at night; but the risk is higher for teens.
- Make sure your teen is off the road by 9 or 10 p.m. for at least the first six months of licensed driving.
- Practice nighttime driving with your teen when you think they are ready.
NOT USING SEAT BELTS
- The simplest way to prevent car crash deaths is to buckle up.
- Require your teen to wear a seat belt on every trip. This simple step can reduce your teen’s risk of dying or being badly injured in a crash by about half.
In 2019, about 7 teens aged 13 – 19 died every day in motor vehicle crashes. But injuries and deaths are preventable. At Thorp & Trainer Insurance, we want to help you make sure your young driver is aware of the leading causes of teen crashes. Then, we advise to implement a parent-teen driving agreement to put rules in place that will help your teen stay safe