Preparing Your Teen Driver to Hit the Road

new teen driver

Getting a driver’s license can be one of the best days ever for a teen. However, it may not feel that way for parents. Teenage driving is a dangerous activity that parents are naturally concerned about. But with the right tools and preparation, parents can help instill driving habits that will keep their teens safe on the road.

Share Teen Driving Facts

Because many teens think they are invincible, it is important to educate them on just how dangerous teen driving can be. Share facts that show how careless and distracted driving can increase the odds of a car crash.

The Florida Drivers Guide for Parents and Teenagers share statistics that show the reality of teen driving.

  • The first 1,000 hours behind the wheel are the most dangerous.
  • The #1 cause of death among American teenagers is car crashes.
  • One-third of fatal teen car crashes is caused by speed.
  • Teen accident rates double when the number of passengers goes from two to three.
  • Teens are more likely than any other group to have a single-car crash.

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Review Common Driving Mistakes

Review common driving errors so your teen is aware of them and recognizes how to correct and avoid them.

  • Distracted Driving (playing with phone or radio, paying attention to others in the vehicle)
  • Driving Aggressively
  • Speeding
  • Swerving/Over-correcting
  • Failing to Yield
  • Driving While Upset
  • Not Adjusting to Weather Conditions
  • Tailgating
  • Not Understanding the Intentions of Other Drivers

Set Driving Rules and Create a Contract

Agreeing to a driving contract early on gives you the opportunity to lay out expectations and set consequences if the rules are broken. Create a document that your teen reads and signs.

Every teen should agree to most important rules.

  • I will wear my seatbelt at all times.
  • I will never text, talk, or use a cell phone while driving. (I will keep it in the glove box or backseat.)
  • I will pull over if I need to use my cell phone.
  • I will never go over the speed limit or drive recklessly or aggressively.
  • I will never drink or do drugs before driving (and never ride with someone who has).

Then, go over rules and expectations that are unique to your and your teen.

  1. Driving Hours: Set a time frame when your child is allowed to use the car. Make sure to consider local laws for drivers under the age of 18.
  2. Number of Passengers: Set a rule for how many passengers are allowed in the car.
  3. Violations and Tickets: Set consequences for receiving violations. Decide who is responsible for paying for tickets.
  4. Vehicle Responsibility: Discuss vehicle maintenance and who is responsible for repairs and gas. Teach your teen how to notice signs that maintenance is needed.

Install MamaBear App

Teenage driving is an activity that naturally concerns parents. But with the right tools and preparation, parents can help instill safe driving habits.

When your teens get their license, you can’t always be with them to ensure they are incorporating safe driving habits. But there is a way for you to make sure your teen isn’t speeding (or riding with other drivers who speed).

The Mama Bear Family Safety App has a feature that will alert you if your teen is in a vehicle that is going over your set speed limit. The app will tell you where the incident occurred. This helps you hold your teen accountable for their actions and further stresses the importance of safe driving habits.


Your teen getting their driver’s license doesn’t have to be a scary day for parents as long as you follow these steps and use tool like MamaBear Family Safety app (available for both iPhones and Androids).

If you liked this blog, you should read:

1. Parents Are Most Distracting to Teen Drivers

2. 5 Benefits of Using MamaBear to Monitor Teen Driving

3. The MamaBear Family Monitoring App Can Help With Parental Anxiety About Teen Driving

 

Monitor Teen Driving with the MamaBear Driving Monitor App

Teen Speeding

According to the California DMV, “the greatest risk of traffic crashes is among teenage drivers. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers across the United States.” The tragic death of Fast and Furious star Paul Walker, who lost his life November 30th in a fiery car crash believed to be caused by high-speed driving, has put driving safety in the spotlight. While speeding-related car crashes can happen to any person at any age, teens are perhaps the most at-risk group for car crashes and car deaths.

Just as you give children a world of freedom when you hand them their first smartphone, their world expands even more when you give them the keys to a car. Providing this kind of independence is a proud parenting moment – but is also likely the scariest.

See Also: The Ages at Which Children Receive a Mobile Phone

We like to think – wishfully, perhaps — that our kids are as fearful of the awesome power of “two tons of rolling steel” as we are and therefore drive safely and conscientiously. Realistically, though, teen drivers are beginners, and their lack of experience behind the wheel combined with their undeveloped risk-taking sense can add up to disaster.

The Need to Speed

Whether teens speed to keep up with traffic, because of peer pressure or for the sheer thrill of going fast, recklessly-fast driving can have deadly consequences. According data compiled at TeenDriverSource.org, teen drivers are “more likely than older drivers to speed and to allow shorter headways.” When a teen driver was behind the wheel, speeding was to blame in more than half of the crashes involving fatalities.

Be Aware of Your Kid’s Driving Habits with the MamaBear Driving Monitor App

The MamaBear Family Safety App sends parents notifications about how fast their kids are driving or riding and where.  This unique feature puts  information in the hands of parents and provides kids with freedom to ride with friends or drive themselves but with a little accountability to ensure  safety.

Giving parents the power of knowledge helps prompt discussion for consequence and safety. These necessary conversations can plant a seed of awareness in your teen’s mind that might curb dangerous future behavior, as well as how to stand up for what’s right in the face of peer pressure.