Moms that have teenage children can sometimes find themselves getting emotional at unexpected moments. That’s because your child is moving through some critical milestones at that age. You may tear up when you see them dressed to go to their first high school dance, or when there’s about to go on their first real date with a classmate they like.
You also might teach them to drive in parking lots and back streets where there’s not much traffic. In these moments, you’re probably feeling anxiety more than anything else. Even if your teen has the skills to pass the test and get their license, they don’t have much experience yet. They might make a significant mistake if they’re not careful.
As an adult, you’ve probably spent many years on the road, and there is a lot you can teach your teen. The more of your skills you can impart to them, the better off you’ll feel when they’re driving all the time.
Here are a few lessons you might teach your teenage driver.
Stick to the Speed Limit
Telling your kid not to speed is probably one of the best lessons a mom might teach a teen driver. You can frame it in this way: they are a lot more likely to badly injure themselves or someone else if they’re going fifty miles per hour rather than thirty.
You should also warn them about speeding in residential areas. If your teen driver knows that kids play in a neighborhood frequently, they should keep their speed down and watch out for youngsters who might dart in front of their car.
If your teen does happen to get in trouble for speeding, they can always contact an attorney. You can get more information about that here, but it’s still best if you keep them having this issue before it ever occurs.
Drive Carefully During the Winter
If you reside in a region that does not get much ice or snow during the winter, your teen driver does not have to worry about seasonal driving all that much. Still, they might end up in a colder part of the country at some point, so you should mention some winter driving tips to them.
The main point you’ll want to enforce is to drive slowly when there are ice and snow on the ground. You might tell them that they should go 5-10 miles below the speed limit if they’re on the highway, especially if it’s actually as they’re driving.
You might mention that they can keep some kitty litter or a sandbag in the trunk to use for traction if the car gets stuck. It also never hurts to have an emergency winter kit with them. That might include a flashlight, some bottled water and energy bars, a blanket, some road flares, and so forth.
Never Try to Run Yellow Lights
As an experienced driver, you might also tell them that if they’re approaching an intersection and the traffic light is turning from green to yellow, it’s okay for them to go. However, if it’s turning from yellow to red, they are much better off stopping instead of trying to speed through it.
If a cop sees them, they’ll certainly give your teen a ticket, but also, trying to hurry through a changing yellow light can cause a car accident. Make sure to tell your teen that it’s always better to lose a minute or two waiting for a light rather than another car smashing into their vehicle.
Never Talk on the Phone or Text While Driving
You might have noticed that your teen loves social media. Virtually all young people grow up with it these days. They might spend a lot of time posting and chatting with their friends, whether they prefer Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, or one of the other platforms. This can be the reason for an accident too. However, if this happens, you should immediately get in touch with a personal injury lawyer for legal help. You may go here to check the possibilities that you should consider while filing a lawsuit.
You should let them know that they should never text, use social media, or do anything else on their phone while driving. You can tell them to keep their phone in their pocket or bookbag while they’re behind the wheel, so they will not feel tempted to glance at it.
Even if their vehicle has Bluetooth, so they have a talk-to-text feature, it’s best for them not to use it. They are not experienced drivers yet, so they should focus on the road.
Moms who teach their kids all these lessons will likely feel better as their teen gradually builds up more driving experience.