If you’ve been toying with the idea of letting your teenager learn how to drive, is now the time to go about it?
For many parents, the decision to let their teen get their learner’s permit and license can be a struggle.
To start is your teen responsible to operate what it can be driving a potentially deadly weapon? Second, is your teen going to help pay for gas and other vehicular needs if he or she uses the family vehicle?
In deciding if now is the time for your teen to start driving, make sure you give it some long and hard though.
Learning Before They Hit the Roads
If you’ve given your son or daughter the green light to learn how to drive, it all begins with your neighborhood DMV.
You should stop by there and pick up a booklet on the rules of the road. That information will help your teen to get to know your state’s laws when it comes to driving. Make sure they study that info in detail before going to take their learner’s permit test. If they do not, there is a good chance they will fail the test.
In the event, they do get a learner’s permit and their license, the learning does not stop there.
As an example, will you sit your teen down before they go out on the roads alone? If you do, among some of the topics of discussion should include:
- Reckless driving – The last thing you want your teenager doing is being reckless out on the roads. Such habits can include speeding, cutting others off, tailgating, and driving too slow.
- Distracted driving – If your teen is like most others in that age range, they love their cell phones. That being the case, that smartphone can prove to be quite the distraction. If they use it to text or call their friends while driving, they put them and countless others at risk. It only takes a second or two in using a cell phone while operating a vehicle to lose focus on the road. The dangers of distracted driving happen every day and everyone needs to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.
- Drowsy driving – How well does your teen sleep on a regular basis? If he or she seems tired more times than not, they could put themselves and others in harm’s way. If your teen is working a part-time job in the later evening hours, will they be alert enough to drive home? As bad as distracted driving can be, drowsy driving is a notable issue too.
Letting Your Teen Assist with Driving
If you welcome your teen into your driving family, you are helping out those already driving.
As an example, if you and your significant other do all the running around, you may like a little help every now and then. Once your teen has a license, they can help with errands and even running younger siblings around.
In the event, your teen will help with the family driving, make sure they know vehicle maintenance. This means making sure the gas tank is full, oil is good on a regular basis, and that the tires are at their proper levels.
When welcoming a new driver into the family, make sure you show them the rules of the road from the start.