Driving takes time and practice to truly master. While the act itself is not overly complicated, bad habits or a lack of practice puts new drivers at higher risk for accidents. It is impossible to fully ensure that your child is driving in a way that won’t sprout gray hairs out of your head. But it’s good to inform them about the mistakes new drivers make that damage their cars to help keep them safe.
Accelerating Too Quickly
While accelerating and hearing the engine’s roar is as thrilling as it is enjoyable to hear, it strains the engine a lot. When delving into the vehicle’s inner workings, fast accelerations force the car’s engine to repeatedly pump the pistons very quickly. For standard vehicles, this is often strenuous to the engine and causes it to wear down faster. Before long, an expensive bill is the only thing that awaits this bad habit.
Experiencing Distractions
Teens are highly susceptible to distractions on the road. Distractions are easy to come by, whether they are checking a text message or jamming out a little too hard to their favorite summer hit. It’s wise to remind them to shut off any devices they do not want to be too distracting in the car. The last thing you want is for them to crash into the neighbor’s mailbox while simultaneously reversing the vehicle and fiddling with the GPS.
Not Respecting Weather Conditions
When it comes to harsh weather conditions, young drivers do not typically think about how it affects their car. Harsh winters kill non-active batteries fast, while hot summers expand the tires and overheat the engine. Both of these issues are common issues that stop a car from starting. Explain these conflicts between climate and machine as your teen learns to drive, and alert them to changing weather conditions. These small lessons stick with repetition and aid them in the future.
While they are still young and impressionable, young drivers also tend to think they are on top of the world. It’s great to see that vigor in your children but also a little worrisome at the same time. The mistakes new drivers make that can damage their cars are great lessons that many have learned on their own time. Sharing them with your teen makes them less likely to damage their vehicle or form dangerous driving habits.
