Words Of Advice For Your Teenage Driver
Posted by admin at 7 August 2019, at 15 : 28 PM
It’s the day that as a parent, you either dread or eagerly anticipate.
It’s the day that your teenage son or daughter finally gets their license!
You might dread it because of the safety fears you have for your child, and you might eagerly anticipate it because you will finally be able to reclaim your days back without having to ferry your teen from one destination to another!
Still, no matter what your attitude towards your teen getting their license, there are some pieces of advice that will be invaluable to them.
#1: Driving in real life is not the same as driving in video games
Driving in video games is fun. Fleeing from the cops in Need for Speed, drifting around corners in Drift Hunters, and weaving in and out of traffic in Burnout, are all exhilarating experiences, but only from the comfort of the living room! In the real world, there are consequences, and while your teen probably wouldn’t want to replicate a police chase, they might notice those flashing blue lights in their wing mirror if they pull off the manoeuvres that they have practiced in the virtual world. Therefore, remind your teen that driving in the real world needs to be a much safer and sensible affair!
#2: You need to curb your phone addiction
Is your teen forever glued to their phones? Many of them are, whether it’s catching up with friends on Facebook or posting pictures of themselves on Instagram. And while your teen needs the occasional reminder to put their phone down occasionally when at home or in the street, they should definitely be reminded to put their phone down when driving. Distracted driving is one of the top causes of road accidents, and quite often, it is because of the distraction of a cell phone. Therefore, tell your teen to pull over if he or she wants to answer a text or a call, and let them know that the selfie they take while driving will not be the pretty picture they were hoping for should they get into a collision!
#3: It’s better to be safe than sorry
Teenagers are risk-takers, possibly because they think they are young and invincible. “It will never happen to me” they might tell you or themselves. And while they might escape the consequences of the risks they take, they might also find themselves in trouble. So, they might get behind the wheel after drinking, assuming that they are in the right mind to get home. Or they might put their foot down to avoid a red traffic light, thinking that they have enough time to make it through a junction. And they might show off their ‘driving skills’ to their backseat friends, confidently assuming that they have what it takes to pull off potentially dangerous manoeuvres. Terrible decisions all, as you will understand yourself. Therefore, remind your teen that it is better to be safe than sorry, as they might one day regret the risks that they have taken.
So, to put your mind at ease and to protect your teen, use the words of advice that we have given you within this article. While they might bemoan your efforts to instruct them, you should still make the effort to do so, as your words could one day save their lives.