A rite of passage for many parents and grandparents is teaching a child or grandchild how to drive. Understandably, this can be a very stressful activity! And even if your kid of grandkid is taking a class or receiving commercial lessons, the foundation of becoming a good driver starts in the home.
Carthage Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has five safety tips that parents and grandparents can use when teaching a teen driver.
- Don’t Preach
When you’re having practice time with the teen, you want it to be quality practice time. Keep things as calm as possible, and relay mistakes you made when you were learning how to drive to keep the new driver’s mind at ease.
- No Distractions!
Of course, your teen should not be using or looking at his or her phone while driving. Also, discourage eating while driving, and if the radio is being used, keep it at a low volume to avoid being distracting. In addition, when you’re driving, be sure to set a good impression by not doing any of these things either while your teen is in the car.
- Talk About Speed
Most people see the posted speed limit and assume that’s the speed they need to go. But emphasize the word “limit.” If there’s heavy traffic of poor weather conditions, drivers should be prepared to go the right speed for the situation.
- Anticipate Others’ Moves
When you’re driving, your eyes scan beyond what’s in front of you to see what’s happening ahead. This gives you plenty of time to see people pulling out, switching lanes, or seeing a light turn red. Teach your young driver to always look further down the road to give themselves time to respond.
- Keep Space Around the Vehicle
Most people focus on not tailgating another car, but you really want to keep the space behind and next to the car clear as well. It can be harder to maintain space in these other three directions, but using common sense moves like making efficient passes on a highway and not riding next to cars in the passing lane can save potential incidents.
To learn more about Carthage Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://carthage-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.
