5 Things Your Teen Should Know Before Driving a Car

Being able to drive is an important milestone in every teenager's life, and it's also one of the scariest milestones for a parent. With driving comes a lot of responsibility. There's also a chance that they could hurt themselves. Give yourself some piece of mind by teaching them everything they would need to drive safely. Here are 5 things your teen should know before driving a car.

The process of buying a car and getting car insurance

Before your kid gets behind the wheel of a car and starts driving around town, it’s important for them to understand the magnitude of driving a car. And to that end, teaching them the process of buying a car and car insurance can provide a sobering perspective.

Teens are understandably excited to drive; it provides them with freedom that they’ve never had before. But that’s why it’s so important for them to understand the bigger perspective of what’s at stake while their on the road, and talking money is a great way to begin teaching them that lesson.

Talk about things like budget, cost of driving a car, loans, credit, APR, cosigners, what to look for when buying a car, and what they need to do in regards to license plates and stickers for the car. Encourage or insist on being involved in any car buying process to help guide them to make the right decisions. Talk to them about the difference between liability and other types of insurance as well as co-pays and other items. Go over their insurance plan with them in detail. Be sure to teach them how to ask if they apply for any discounts, such as student discounts.

The area they will be driving in

Drive around town with your child enough so that they get a sense of the main streets and landmarks. When they know where they are going, they can drive with confidence instead of having to rely on an unreliable GPS that might confuse them. No matter who's driving, quiz them on how to get to specific places around town they might need to go.

The dangers of drinking and driving

It's vitally important for your teen to understand how dangerous it is to drink and drive. In fact, car accidents are the leading cause of death for teens, and teenagers are involved in nearly half of all drunk driving fatalities. It’s a very serious problem, and teens lack the experience to know how to drink responsibly. 

On top of that, there are serious legal consequences that come with it. If a teenager is caught drinking and driving by the police, they’re going to have the book thrown at them. In fact, teens generally need to hire a DUI lawyer to mitigate the damage a DUI charge can do to their record.

This is where parenting can really help your child make good decisions. Tell your teen to either get a ride from a rideshare company or to call you if they’re ever in a situation where their other options are to drive drunk or to get in the car with a drunk driver. More importantly, reward them when they’re displaying that sort of responsibility; good decision-making like that can save lives.

How to drive in rain and snow

Even the best drivers can get mixed up in the middle of a huge storm. Teach your teen driver how to react in different situations. For example, when they skid on ice, they need to know to go with the skid instead of trying to fight it. They also need to know to give people in front of them more space than usual and to carry an emergency kit. They should also learn that even if they aren't worried about the driving conditions, they need to be hyper aware about anyone who might not be able to drive in those conditions. Just because they can handle it, doesn't mean everyone can.

How to change a tire

All of us have been driving when we hit a pothole or a curb and all of a sudden we feel our car fall in one corner. When this happens, you want your teen to be able to change the tire themselves so that they can get home as quickly as possible. Show them how to change their own tire and watch while they do it themselves a couple of times. Make sure they understand how important it is to always have a spare in the trunk. They should also understand that a spare is only meant as a temporary solution. They should get a regular tire back on the car as soon as possible.

Driving a car gives your teen a new sense of freedom. Make sure they understand that with freedom comes an expected level of responsibility. Their first responsibility is to drive safely by showing an appreciation for these five lessons.