As a parent that means that in order to keep your teen as safe as possible you need to help them eliminate distractions and dangerous behaviors, as well as continuing to monitor their driving and setting a good example yourself.
It also means that you need to control the keys and set the limits by which your teen can achieve the privilege of driving. If they break the rules, exhibit poor driving skills or recklessness then it’s up to you to make sure they correct their behavior before driving again.
The Mirror
When you are driving in the presence of your teen, are you practicing what you teach? No cell phone/blackberry usage? No food or drink in your hands? Do you obey the posted speed limits and go even slower when weather is a factor? Are you a calm and defensive driver, respectful of others on the road?
Like with drug prevention and your teen you are the biggest factor in their decision making processes- even if they do not admit it or show it. But they will also mimic your poor habits as well as their friend’s habits too. Consider this: how successful would you be in telling your teen to not take drugs if you are smoking a joint during the conversation? Likewise, how successful will you be if you use your cell phone, speed or disobey basic traffic and safety rules in the car while telling your teen that it’s not safe to do so?
What can I do for my teen driver?
Check bad habits at the door This is a good time to take inventory of your own driving habits so that your teen sees a rational, calm driver who eliminates their own distractions before setting on the road.
Change your busy message to say, “I am busy right now or I’m driving. Leave a message, follow my lead and don’t drive distracted.” Your simple act will change hearts and minds.
Eliminate Distractions Don’t bring food into the car and leave the radio off if you can. Make sure you don’t ever use a cell phone while you drive. Teach your teen that it’s not as important as being in contol of the vehicle. If they know you do it, then why would they think it’s wrong?
Make a plan to drive with your teen on a regular basis and not just at age 16, but until they are out of their teens which is the highest peak time for fatal crashes for them in their lives. Going to school, down to the store or even on a short road trip, you can use the time to see if their skill are improving and if they are following the rules; or are they over confident/not confident enough; do they turn off their cell before they start and/or ignore it the entire ride; do they immediately put their seat belt on and turn the radio down low or off; do they speed when traffic around them does or disregard posted road signs; do they change lanes and park well. Use this time to observe/evaluate their current skill and give more instruction.
Show the safest routes Many times the fastest routes are the more dangerous ways for a newer driver to navigate. Showing your teen the safest routes can help them look for the safe route when they are on their own.
Explain the reasons for your choices whether it be a less traveled road with slower speed limits, intersections with a stop light instead of a stop sign- whatver the case is. Show them how they can find the safer way to get to their destination, even if it takes them a few minutes longer.
Be the parent You are ultimately responsible for the decisions your teen makes when they are driving- and they are likely driving your car and are on your insurance as well. The bottom line is that you control the privileges your minor enjoys and have to deal with their choices behind the wheel.
Even though your logic may not compute, explain to your teen why you might be restricting their driving privilege and what they need to do or show you in order to regain your trust. You cannot rely on your teen’s ability to think as calmly and rationally as you will.
Provisional Drivers License
A provisional Operators Permit (POP Driver License) is the first license you obtain as a new driver and it comes with inherent restrictions such as: 1) Passengers: no more than 1 under the age of 19 with you in the car 2) Night Driving: no driving after midnight; 3) No Use of ANY Electronics (cell phones, MP3 players, GPS) while driving; 4) Everyone in the car has to wear a safety belt.
Check out the length of these provisional operator’s permit restrictions on the Nebraska DMV website.
One reason for this it’s not necessarily the loss of mobility & dexterity from holding a phone that presents the most risk, it is the distraction caused by the conversation that decreases your senese, your awareness and your reaction times. The duration of the phone call is typically a good portion of the total car trip as well making the impairment span larger amounts of time in which the unexpected could occur and you need to quickly access and react.
How can this be you may ask? While you are talking on the phone you are also creating a mental image of the person(s) you are talking with; you are recalling time, data and events in the conversation and you are
listening to their speech while simultaneously formulating a response and then waiting for your audible cues to say them. Conversations can be casual and light; or they can be intense and detail driven requiring your increased focus. If the conversation is important to you or heated for example, you may use more of your attention on the conversation rather than on moving the car forward, which is the “default mode” your brain engages in when you are driving and severly distracted.
You can actually measure this effect by actively scanning the brain using fMRI while the subject is driving on a simulator, and then asking the subject to begin a phone conversation (see the brain scans to the right). The top brain is the subject simply driving and the red areas are the parts of the brain that are in use while doing that task. The brain below is a the subject, still driving on a simulator but a phone conversation is introduced- up to a 37% reduction in brain activity can be observed while the person concentrates on the details of the remote conversation.
Are you interested in taking a pledge?
Some consider signing a pledge to be a very powerful symbol of their commitment to take action on an issue or suppot an idea. No one needs a pledge to begin driving without a cell phone or other distractions but if it has weight with you, then you can click here and to get a personalized pledge with your name on it emailed to you, ready to sign, to show others that you are committed to be being a safer driver. Sign it in front of and with your teen to show them that you are just as committed to their safety as you are to your own.
