| Not surprisingly, teen drivers are at a greater risk for | | | | tolerance for this kind of behavior --- even if they don't |
| accidents on the road. Charge it to inexperience, lack | | | | meet the state limit, they might find themselves |
| of study or plain carelessness --- the common teen | | | | spending the night in jail, with a lot of financial trouble to |
| driving mistakes are what parents and instructors | | | | wake up to. Fortunately, various groups have, for |
| should focus on when they teach. | | | | years, been advocating the seriousness of this |
| Here's a list of common teen driving mistakes, and | | | | message. |
| how to potentially avoid them: | | | | They drive too fast for conditions. A common teen |
| They don't wear safety belts. Now a standard when | | | | driving mistake is not being able to gauge the situation |
| building cars, over 170 million vehicles on the road have | | | | of the road before hitting the gas. Sometimes, they |
| them --- so why do teen drivers still forget to strap on | | | | assume that cars are built for any kind of weather --- |
| their safety belts? One of the worst teen driving | | | | that it can cut through ice and have electronic stability |
| mistake is assuming they are invincible while driving. | | | | controls take care of the rest. Have them drive |
| Safety belts, coupled with air safety bags lessen the | | | | 5mph slower --- in any kind of condition. It gets them |
| risk of accidents being fatal. Be the example --- get | | | | where they have to go in almost the same amount of |
| them used to strapping up before even starting the | | | | time, minus the risk of accidents. |
| car. Ask them nicely to do the same. Also, it's the | | | | They ride with other teens. Not that we have |
| law. | | | | anything against teen drivers having friends, but |
| They panic or over-correct in emergency situations. | | | | seriously, other teens present in the car, more than |
| When teen drivers face something new to them on | | | | texting, is a lethal teen driving mistake. Distracted |
| the road, their first instinct is to step on the brakes. | | | | driving follows DUI/DWIs as the leading cause for teen |
| Hard. Thankfully, anti-lock braking mechanisms help | | | | driving accidents. Teach them to focus on the road, |
| prevent skidding. Another is when a car loses control, | | | | and only on the road when driving. |
| say, while driving in rain-soaked streets, they tend to | | | | The only way to avoid the common teen driving |
| oversteer/over-correct, which only throws the car | | | | mistakes is to be the best example/teacher when it |
| even more out-of-control. Teach them that | | | | comes to driving. Consider reviewing a driver |
| sometimes, it is better to speed up a notch to avoid | | | | education guide specifically created for the parents |
| collision. Then gradually slow down after. | | | | teaching their teen to drive. Have them understand |
| They drink and drive. A common teen driving | | | | that driving is a privilege that carries a lot of |
| mistake: they think that "don't drink and drive" means a | | | | responsibility. Let them become the best, confident |
| bottle of alcohol won't hurt. Some states have zero | | | | and competent drivers on the road by starting early. |