Teen Driving

Mistakes New Drivers Make That Damage Their Car

September 1, 2022 By Fatherhood Factor Team Leave a Comment

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.

Top Tips To Help Your Child Avoid a Major Car Accident

May 31, 2022 By Fatherhood Factor Team Leave a Comment

It’s not always the obvious things that have the most impact. Your teen has studied the statistics, taken the classes, and is finally ready to drive. But what about the statistics that show teen drivers are the most likely to be involved in an accident? Here are some of our top tips to help your child avoid a major car accident.

Help Them Develop the Right Attitude About Driving

Many teen car accidents are caused by their attitude and immaturity rather than a lack of talent or knowledge. For this reason, it is essential to confirm that your child is mature enough to get behind the wheel of a car. While many may not think of cars as deadly and dangerous, they are exactly that. If you think that your child could not handle the ownership of a gun or other dangerous object, it might be wise to reconsider a driver’s license.

Practice With Them

A parent should be as involved as possible in teaching their child to drive. To provide a more stable environment for teaching your child to drive, be sure to make a schedule. Keep practicing with them until their license exam. Many states have implemented graduated licensing rules. Make sure you’re up to date on these laws so you can ensure that your child will be able to drive legally once they pass their test!

Make Sure They Buckle Up

Teach your child that no matter what situation they are in, they must wear a seatbelt. Set a good example by buckling up yourself—besides, you want to be a safe driver too. It may be a good idea to review the seatbelt statistics published by the government to really drive home how important seatbelt usage is.

Don’t Let Them Drink and Drive

One of the biggest lessons to teach your child is the dangerous role that alcohol often has in car accidents. Be sure to tell your child about the repercussions of driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or other narcotics. Take care to let them know that these activities can result in the loss of their license or even their life.

Monitor Their Passengers

With each additional passenger, the probability of a fatal collision rises. When you’re dealing with a new driver, it’s ideal to keep their passengers to a minimum.

Don’t Let Them Drive at Night

It’s no secret that whenever you drive, you are risking your life. While many people may not understand this concept, it is essential that your child does. It’s best that they avoid driving at night until they’ve become used to driving during the day.

Make Sure They Follow the Speed Limit

Fast-moving, high-volume traffic can make your child feel uneasy, so have them avoid highways until they feel comfortable. It goes without saying that if you force a new driver into a stressful situation, they are likely to panic and learn nothing from the experience.

We hope you have found our tips to help your child avoid a major car accident helpful. Remember that driving safely does not only protect your teen from accidents. Learning good habits now can prevent your teen from being labeled a high-risk driver later. Make sure their first priority is to be safe on the road!

Things To Consider When Preparing Your Teen for Driving

May 12, 2022 By Fatherhood Factor Team Leave a Comment

So your young ones are growing up and learning the ways of the road. As a parent, it’s only natural to worry for their safety and how seriously they are taking the lessons to heart. However, by following a few simple guidelines and drawing from experience, this job becomes tamer by the moment. These are some things to consider when preparing your teen for driving.

Instill the Basics

Driving almost seems like second nature for most people and acts as the gateway to a new chapter in their lives. Understanding how you felt when you were younger is a great way to get into the mindset of your teen driver. This is an excellent time to bring up some stories of issues you had when you didn’t follow the basic rules of driving. Remember, you are not trying to scare them but to bring some perspective to the dangers of not being careful and aware when operating the vehicle.

Keep the Practice Relaxed

The last thing any new driver wants is someone raising their voice and asking why they made the decisions they did when driving. For those private practice sessions, try to keep in touch with their feelings. As their parent, it is up to you to read your child’s emotions to see whether or not they are comfortable with casual conversations and music while driving or reticently prefer a quiet and focused drive. Regardless of where they lie, be supportive and try to offer corrections in the form of advice while driving.

Provide a Highly Rated Vehicle

For those who are in the position to purchase a vehicle for their kids, it is important to consider cars with good track records for safety. You can hope that those safety features are never needed. But no one can predict the future, so being ready for the worst is a good way to ensure they get home safely each drive. Consider buying a reliable used car that any family would be happy to have, and you are sure to be better prepared for any incidents due to inexperience.

When going through this exciting yet terrifying part of your child’s life, it is essential to be there every step of the way. You can be a fount of knowledge for them in a field of foreign experiences by keeping these things to consider when preparing your teen for driving in mind. Your “what if” questions are going to be replaced with wondering whether you or your teen should drive everyone back from the most recent family vacation. Have confidence and take it slow; there is plenty of time to spend with them and plenty still to learn.

5 Important Things Your New Driver Should Know

November 16, 2021 By Fatherhood Factor Team Leave a Comment

Break out your helmets because it’s time to teach your teen how to drive. It’s scary to think about your child behind the wheel but watching them grow into young adults is rewarding. While this is a nerve-wracking time for parents, it can be an exciting experience for everyone if you set your kids up for success. Whether you’re teaching them yourself or sending them to driver’s ed, here are five important things your new driver should know.

Limit Distractions

Teenagers these days have a lot on their plates, so it’s easy for things to distract them. In high-stake situations like driving, they must know how to stay focused. Allowing them to drive with a bunch of friends in the car is probably not a great idea while they are starting. Also, they should never text and drive, so educating them on the consequences is a top priority.

Vehicle Maintenance

Part of being a grown-up is taking responsibility for your stuff. Your teenager needsto know how to take care of their vehicle correctly so that it lasts for a long time. It’s helpful to understand how to check the oil, change a tire, and recognize vehicle warning indicators. Driving courses probably won’t cover all of these things, so you need to teach them.

Safety First

The most important thing your new driver should know is that safety always comes first. So much can happen when they get behind the wheel that is out of their control. Teaching your teen about safety can make a huge difference in their driving habits. Your lessons should include:

Seatbelt importance
How to adjust mirrors
Observing speed limits and other safety laws

Inclement Weather

Every day can’t be sunny with a high of 75°F. Sometimes, your new driver will have to drive in some rocky weather, whether it’s through a storm or snow. Prepared drivers will know how to make adjustments during inclement weather, like:

Reducing speed
Creating more distance between vehicles
Correctly responding when fishtailing or hydro-plaining

Accidents Happen

Your teenager should understand that accidents happen and know what to do if one occurs. Remaining calm, documenting the scene, and gathering insurance information should be a part of their skillset. If physical harm comes to your child during an accident, personal injury lawyers can help process claims and fight for any compensation you and your child deserve.

Teaching your child how to drive is a rite of passage that every parent makes. These tips will ensure that they are safely and productively ready for this next stage of life.

5 Best Places to Teach Your Child How to Drive

October 2, 2019 By Emily Joswiak Leave a Comment

The biggest moment in many parents’ lives is teaching their child how to drive. It’s a whole new level of independence, and you don’t want them to go unaware of important rules and techniques that will keep them safe. Thankfully, there are plenty of places you can take them so they can improve their skills before obtaining their license. Here are the five best places to teach your child how to drive.

Open Parking Lot

An open parking lot is one of the best places to teach your child how to drive for a few reasons. Parking is one of the most difficult aspects of driving. As such, your child will need plenty of practice so they can successfully get in between the lines. An empty parking lot is also great because they aren’t hard to find, and you can set up cones to practice additional driving techniques.

Crowded Parking Lot

After practicing in an open parking lot, your child should eventually learn how to deal with crowds. Take them to a parking lot during business hours when there are other people and cars to watch out for. This way, they can learn to park in between cars and start to understand how crucial it is to watch for pedestrians.

The Highway

The next step for your young driver is to take the highway. This is a completely different experience and one that you need to guide them through. There is a lot that they’ll need to learn about the highway, such as driving at high speeds, understanding exits, and knowing which lane to travel in.

An Urban Area

There are a few differences between driving in the city and the country. Depending on where you live, you’ll want to take your child to an area that is opposite of what’s around you. For example, if you live in an urban setting, drive to the nearest rural territory for practice. Your child must learn how to deal with the different obstacles each area presents—from pedestrians to animals crossing the street. Mastering each setting will make your child a well-rounded driver.

Side Streets

A final practice exercise you should perform with your child is how to navigate a side street. This goes hand in hand with driving in an urban area or a busy neighborhood. You can also find hills on side streets, which is excellent for learning how to properly parallel park.

How Parents Can Help Teens Prevent Distracted Driving

June 28, 2015 By Kimberly Quinones Leave a Comment

Distracted driving is a potentially lethal consequence of our obsession with smartphones and staying connected. In particular, smartphones, teenagers and cars are a dangerous combination: teenagers love social networking and have precious little experience behind the wheel. Texting and cellphone use in general should never mix with driving — especially for your teenage sons/daughters. Yet how do you prevent them from driving while distracted? Here are 10 of the best techniques:

Set a good example. If your teenager sees you texting and otherwise fiddling with your smartphone behind the wheel, why should he/she do any differently? Whether he/she acknowledges it or not, your teenager pays attention to your behavior and imitates it. Forget this important point, and the rest of these tips become a hundred times harder to pull off.
Make a family rule that the driver’s smartphone is to be turned off or put on standby. By participating, you set a good example (see the previous point), and develop the correct mindset in your teen, which is that drivers should only use smartphones in emergencies.
Familiarize your teen with the horrifying statistics on driving while distracted. Teenagers think they are invincible, but statistics indicate otherwise. This is information you owe it to your teenager to share.
“Gorilla tactic” — Put your teens on a limited usage cellular plan to force them to be selective when texting, rather than write a message any time a thought pops into their head. Limited plans also motivate teens to discourage their friends from texting them.
This gorilla tactic will work even better if you make your teens pay their cellular bills. The perception that texting and phone use in general is a freebie only makes them more careless and carefree when using their cellular device(s).
Make sure your teenager knows how to set up the phone’s Bluetooth in the car, and knows how to use voice-free commands, if the vehicle is so equipped. Cars with hands-free technology help keep the driver’s eyes on the road, but if your teen is trying to figure out how to use this technology while driving, he/she will become that much more distracted.
Moving beyond smartphones, your teen should understand the driver’s seat is not the place for personal grooming. Combing hair, applying makeup, brushing teeth, shaving — your teen has probably thought about doing all of these and more while waiting at a stoplight, or perhaps even while actually driving.
In addition to grooming behind the wheel, eating behind the wheel is risky business, but all too common among teens. As with all of these tips, setting a good example is extremely important. If your teenager sees you scarfing down a supersize burrito on the way to a swim meet, what do you think he/she will try when you’re not looking? Eating and driving should never go together.
Teach your teen to pull of the road when distractions are inevitable. For instance, if your teen driver is lost, it’s far safer to pull over and carefully read a map or navigation screen than to improvise while driving. Same holds true if there is a heated argument among the passengers, or if a passenger spills a cup of hot coffee. Slow and steady wins the race! That dictum is not exactly intuitive to a teenager, so you will have to repeat this advice frequently.
Pay attention to your teenager’s friends. This is a sound practice for a multitude of reasons, and driving safety is certainly one of them. If your son/daughter hangs out with kids whose noses are never out of their smartphones, it’s likely your child is doing the same when out of your sight. If you have concerns, at least you will know there is a problem and be able to address it — the first steps in solving any teenage problem.