5 Tips When Talking to Your Teens About Car Safety

by Lori Cunningham

Dr. Charles Sophy, Medical Director of Los Angeles Welfare Services, the largest foster care in the country, gave a presentation on the importance of how to have the “other” conversation with your child.  I have summarized his presentation here.

The first thing you need to do when teaching children about safety on the road is to educate yourself on the process and rules of the road.  Be confident in your role as teacher.

Make the conversation an emotionally safe one.  Allow your child to participate in the conversation and avoid, “when I was your age…” comments.

Make sure you do as you tell your children to do.  If you never put on your seatbelt before you drive, chances are likely they wont either.

Teens need control.  Their friends are their new family.  Make a contract with them and write it down.

Above all, practice, practice, practice with your teen.  Help them (and you) to feel more confident with their driving.  Remember, a skilled driver is a safe driver.  Also, take your teen out for random drive checks to ensure they’re doing what they tell you they’re doing on the road.

Educate your teen on statistics and stories about other teens.  Teens identify with their peers so tell them about the stakes involved in driving unsafely.  You’re not scaring them but educating them.

Know your child and incorporate any safeguards that will help both of you feel better about their driving.  Prepare them ahead of time, tell them that the road may make them more anxious but over time they’ll gain more confidence.

Keep it human, remind your teen that vehicles aren’t just obstacles or pieces of metal but they carry people with flesh and bones and families just like you.  Their safety is just as important to a driver as their own.

Over time, the parent will grant their teen more trust as the teen shows responsibility on an ongoing basis.

Encourage your teen to embody safety principles by calling you to pick them up, even if in awkward or embarrassing situations.  Ensure you both talk about speed limit and radio volume maxes.

Ensure your child knows your expectations of safe driving.  Help them understand that having fun in the car is not reckless or risky behaviors.  Nor does cockiness equate to confidence.

Handing over the keys to your teen is a growth process.  It’s a sign of trust, but not unbridled trust.  A teen will need your help in learning the skills and rules of the road properly.  It is a teen’s job to earn your trust which gives him/her a larger sphere of influence in borrowing your car.

For more information on Teens and Driving see of WellConnectedMom.com’s other articles about teens:

Teens and Cellphones:  A Primer, Manners, Safety, and Sexting.

Also see:

• Protecting Children and the Elderly in a Car Crash
• Forward with Ford:  Safety for All Ages
• Forward with Ford:  3 Days in Detroit

*Ford paid my expenses for the flights and lodging.  All opinions are my own.