Teen Safety

As you see on the news many teens lives are taken away because driving under the in influence. Most cases are from being under the influence. Some people get distracted and accidentally lose control. Teens plus teens equal disaster. I have lost someone that was very dear to me. When we received the news my family was shocked. It was my uncle. So I caution you to drive safe and not under the influence. Here are some tips that I would use. 1.  To be a successful teacher, you need to understand a few things about motivating a student during driving sessions...

• Check frequently to ensure that your teen understands
• Keep things moving by giving your instructions in real time
• Point things out as they happen
• Act more as the co-pilot than taskmaster
• Keep an eye on the road ahead of you at all times

2. Other teens in the car is one of the greatest risks...

Friends lead to excitement, distractions and peer pressure

Fatal crashes with teen drivers are more likely to involve passengers

Teens are less likely to wear seat belts when driving with other teens

3. There are all kinds of distractions that can take our eyes off the road. Here's a way to help maintain your attention:

Keep both hands on the wheel while driving

Don't talk on the phone without a hands-free accessory

Wait 'til the next stoplight to change that CD

Don't drive with passengers until you are more experienced

Parent's Tip: Don't remind your teen of all the possible distractions. Instead, enforce keeping your hands on the wheel and you'll avoid most of the distractions that cause serious crashes.

3.To help your teen understand, take the time to review the issues and responsibilities associated with driving and consider making a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement using the outline below as a guide...

• Issue - Curfew
• Responsibility/Rule - Weekday evening curfew of 10 pm and a weekend evening curfew of midnight
• Agreement - Coming home after the curfew will result in the curfew being set one hour earlier for one week

Parent's Tip: Treat your teen with the same respect by allowing them some control over the rules of driving.

4. Driving requires commitment and discipline - from both the student and the coach. The best way to demonstrate these traits is to establish a practice schedule and stick to it.

• Commit to the 100 hours of supervised instruction (100 hours is only 2 hours/week for a year, or 4 hours/week for 6 months)
• Make it routine--set aside a specific day and time for driving practice (Put it in your day-planner if you have to; this is an appointment for safety)
• Go with the flow--when the lessons require driving at night or in bad weather, make adjustments

Don't cancel, reschedule--when you have to work late or something else unexpected comes up, don't cancel your driving date, reschedule it.

Parent's Tip: Demonstrate to your child that you are making this a firm commitment to their safety

5. If your teen can spend 10 hours getting hand-cramps from the latest video game, he or she can spend ten sessions meandering through your local countryside or back roads, to develop driving hand-eye coordination. Anytime visibility decreases, have your teen:

• Slow down
• Access the situation
• If visibility is only 100 feet ahead, you should be doing no more than 35 MPH. If it's at 50 feet, it's 25 MPH, and so on.

Parent's Tip: Build up to an hour or more per session. It will help your teens mind and body become more accustomed to driving and build more confidence.

Just remember that person might be you behind the wheel. So take the safety percussions