Category: Driving Tips

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Driving Tips: Ways to Keep Your Teen Driver Safe

Continuing our series of Driving Tips

Ways to Keep Your Teen Driver Safe
As a parent, one of the most nerve-wracking things that you can experience is letting your child on the road as a driver. No matter how much practice he or she has had, and no matter how well he or she did on the driving test, it’s still going to put a pit in your stomach.

Thus, it’s imperative that you go over proper safety rules and techniques with your teenage driver to keep him or her from getting into a collision on the road. Remember, a teen’s mind is still developing, so even if your child acts like he or she knows it all, it’s not true.

  • Require Extra Driving Instruction: passing a test at the DMV doesn’t prepare your child for driving as much as it should. It’s a good idea to sign him or her up for a driving class that will go over more information and provide comprehensive training. An additional bonus is some insurance companies might provide a discount upon completion.  Click here to contact us to find out if your company provides such as discount.
  • Ride With Your Teen Often: this will give you an idea of how he or she is behind the wheel, and it will enable you to provide coaching on a consistent basis.
  • Don’t Nag, Encourage: it’s easy to start nitpicking your teen’s abilities, but remember that they’re still new to this. Be patient and allow him or her to get a feel for the car and how it handles. Your child will be much more responsive this way and be open to learning from you.

Overall, the more instruction and training your teenager can receive, the likelier that he or she will be safe on the road. Although your child is eager to start driving solo, don’t give in until you know that he or she is ready.

House Rules to Reinforce Safe Driving

When it comes to your teenager, you know what’s best for them. Although they may be resistant to the idea of ground rules for driving, the fact is that rules can make a significant difference in their overall safety out on the road.

Feel free to add some extra rules if you like, but the ones we’ve listed here should be enforced no matter what. They are related to the safety and security of both the car and your child, and they are universal, meaning that they should never be lifted. Once you read them, you’ll understand why.

  • Always Buckle Up: buckling your seatbelt can seem a bit lame, but it’s going to protect your body in an accident. Also, many states have strict seatbelt laws, and you (the parent) will have to pay if your teen doesn’t do it. This rule should extend to all passengers, too.
  • NO TEXTING: we cannot stress this enough. If necessary, take your teen’s phone away or swap it out for something that can’t text until the message gets across. Over 3,400 people die per year from distracted driving.
  • Don’t Allow Passengers At First: when teenagers ride together, they can do stupid things. Whether it’s showing off or getting distracted, it can put everyone in the car at risk. Wait until you feel comfortable with your teen’s abilities behind the wheel.
  • NO DRINKING OR DRUGS: like texting, this should be a zero-tolerance policy.
    Any Violation results in consequences: whether it’s a speeding ticket, a red light camera, or something else, anything that involves a fine or a police visit should bring your teen back to square one.
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Driving Tips: Intersection Safety and Red Light Cameras

Driving is something that we all do, and we all think that we have it down pretty well. After all, we drive to and from work, when we go out to eat, and many other times throughout the day. If we were terrible at it, wouldn’t we be getting into wrecks every time we hit the road?

Well, as excellent as you may be at driving, the fact is that there’s always room for improvement. Not only that, but what about your new teen driver? Are you doing enough for him or her to understand the rules of the road?

With that in mind, over the next few weeks, we will share a number of helpful tips and information regarding our most abundant pastime. Whether you’ve been driving for years or you’re just learning how to do it, these tips will help you make the most out of every trip.

Intersection Safety

This is one area that we all seem to take for granted. In many cases, an intersection has signs or warnings to help you understand what to do and when to go. Stop signs, traffic lights, crosswalks, and turn signals are all elements that could be present at an intersection.

Unfortunately, however, it’s this abundance of safety precautions that leads to problems. We are so dependent on others following the signs and rules of law that we tend to forget to do the one thing we always have to do behind the wheel: pay attention.

Thus, here are some critical things to keep in mind next time you’re sitting at the intersection.

●      Don’t Assume Anything: drivers run red lights, pedestrians cross against the signal, and people ignore stop and yield signs all the time. No matter how many postings there are, all it takes is one person not paying attention to cause a collision. Don’t be that person.

●      Look Both Ways: whether the light’s green or you came to a full stop at a sign, that doesn’t mean that you’re clear to move forward. Always check your surroundings before crossing any intersection, particularly one that is busy.

●      Don’t Push Yellow Lights: too often we tend to try and rush through a yellow light. However, it could turn red before you know it, and then you may wind up in a bad spot. Don’t put yourself in that kind of position.

●      Be Ready to Yield: if you come to an intersection at the same time as someone else, you will likely have to let them pass. Don’t put yourself in danger by being in a hurry.

Red Light Cameras

These are a different animal altogether. If you’ve been tagged by a red light camera (and paid the subsequent fine), then you know how disruptive they can be to your wallet. They may seem annoying, but they are there to help protect you and keep you out of danger. Don’t believe us? According to statistics, over 200,000 people were injured in 2015 from cars running red lights.

●      Be sure to slow down on a yellow light. You will get tagged if any part of your vehicle is at the intersection when the light turns red.

●      Come to a complete stop, even if you’re turning right.

●      Not all cameras are noticeable. Even if you think there isn’t one present, don’t take the risk.

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4 Driving Tips for Halloween

Halloween Driving Safety

Halloween is always a festive day for both children and adults. Costumes, candy, trick-or-treaters; there’s plenty to enjoy when this “spooky” day arrives every October.

With so much celebration and kids on foot on Halloween, especially after dark, it’s important to be extra careful when you get behind the wheel.

Below are 5 Halloween driving safety tips to help you make sure Halloween is safe for you, your passengers, and the trick-or-treaters roaming the streets.

1. Don’t drive with a mask.

Masks can be a fun part of any costume. If you are dressing up and your costume requires a mask, make sure to keep it off until you arrive at your destination. Masks can obscure vision and cause unnecessary risk to you and others!

2. Use caution in neighborhoods

While you never want to speed through a residential neighborhood, you’ll want to be especially careful on Halloween.

Families with youngsters are out trick-or-treating, crossing streets and walking in driveways. Drive slower than normal to make sure you are keeping the little ghosts and goblins in your neighborhood safe.

3. Avoid using your phone while driving

Cell phones are a driving distraction that always should be avoided.  (See Part 2 of “10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving.”)  On Halloween, it’s even more important! With children out on the streets and more traffic, you’ll want to make sure you keep eyes on the road.

Put your cell phone in your glovebox while you drive to avoid the temptation to check it while driving.  To help with sounds coming from your glovebox that might make you curious, turn off your phone or if you have an iPhone with iOS11, put your phone in “driving mode” before putting it in the glovebox.

4. Use your turn signals

You should always use your turn signals, but be extra vigilant about using them on Halloween. With the increased foot traffic, it’s important to signal when turning to avoid an accident with other cars and pedestrians.

Keep Halloween a fun and festive night for you and your neighbors!

By following a few, simple Halloween driving safety tips, you can enjoy the spirit of the season while keeping yourself, and others, safe.

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10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving

Reaching in the back seat while driving

This month, we talked about avoiding common driving practices that are very dangerous. Here’s a list to all 10 parts plus the supplemental article.

Part 1: Reading While Driving

Part 2: Avoid Texting While Driving

Part 3: Driving with your Knees

Part 4: Driving with Something or Someone in your Lap

Part 5: Driving with Headphones

Part 6: Changing Clothes or Applying Makeup

Part 7: Grabbing Something Out of Reach

Part 8: Eating and Driving

Part 9: Road Raging

Part 10: The Stats

Supplemental: Driving, Teens, and Learning Disabilities — Something You Need to Know

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Part 9: Road Raging

Road rage - angry driver shouting in his car

(Series:  10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving)

It’s common for drivers to get upset.  Many times a person is distraught in some way before they even enter their car – a disappointment occurred, an argument happened, a trauma was experienced.  Road rage is not just getting upset at another driver.  All a motorist needs to do is be in a negative mindset.

Driving with a negative mindset is dangerous.  It causes mental distraction affecting one’s ability to concentrate.  Getting angry at another driver (regardless of who’s fault it is) may cause a person to drive more aggressively.  It’s an accident waiting to happen.

If you find yourself in a negative mindset, get calm and collected as soon as possible – preferably before starting your drive.  Don’t put anyone’s life in danger, including life of your passengers, because you are having a bad day.  It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.

Choose to drive safely.  If you find your ire increasing, do what it takes to settle things down for the sake of yourself, those who may be riding with you and for those who are in the other vehicles around you.

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Part 8: Eating and Driving

Eating and Driving

(Series:  10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving)

Eating some chips or a piece of fruit may not cause an accident for most people as long as retrieving the food does not mean grabbing for something out of reach.  However, if your teen is inexperienced or has a learning disability, the risk of a crash increases almost 3X over those who did not eat.

The distraction could happen when they tip up the bag to get the last chip crumbs.  It might be if sauce drips on their shirt or pants, and their eyes are diverted from the road as they grab a napkin to wipe up the mess.  Moments such as these can be the difference between life and death.

Help your inexperienced driver(s) to drive safely.  Discourage them from eating while driving.

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Part 7: Grabbing Something Out of Reach

Reaching in the back seat while driving

(Series:  10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving)

You are driving down the road and your stomach grumbles.  “I’ve got a granola bar in my backpack in the back seat.”  You reach back to a pack that is just barely at the tip of your fingers.  If you just turn and reach back a little farther…

That’s bad news.  Several things are happening.

  • Your mind is distracted from driving and what is happening on the road.
  • Turning your body to reach something in the back seat often causes a driver to slightly turn the wheel and drift into another lane.
  • Looking down to get something on the floor takes your eyes away from the road.

The farther out of reach something is, and the more that a person strains to reach it, the greater the risk of a crash.

Choose to drive safely.  Be patient.  Wait until it is safe to pull off the road to retrieve your items.

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Part 6: Changing Clothes or Applying Makeup

Doing makeup while driving

(Series:  10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving)

There’s an old saying: “It’s a car crash waiting to happen.”  That proverb applies easily when a person is trying to change clothes while driving.  It involves taking your hands off the steering wheel, interrupts your foot’s contact with the brake or gas pedal, and obscures your eyes from seeing the road.  The risk is increased significantly by the chance that you could become entangled by your clothes.

In the same way, applying makeup while driving causes great distraction.  You cannot be focused on your road and surroundings when your eyes are occupied in the mirror to properly apply your makeup. Be patient. Do your makeup beforehand or after you arrive at your destination.

Choose to drive safely.  Change clothes and/or apply makeup either before you leave or after your arrive at your destination.

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Part 5: Driving with Headphones

Driving with Headphones

(Series:  10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving)

There are two ways that we perceive what is happening around us when we drive:  sight and sound.  If you are using headphones when you drive, you eliminate half of your perception!

You might wonder how deaf people drive. Because they are used to being deaf, they are more alert.  On the other hand, a person wanting to listen to “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar isn’t used to not hearing what is happening in her driving environment.  Consequently, he or she will not be as focused.

There are important sounds that you need to hear when you drive.  Roadway sounds let you hear the environment around you.  For example, if you change lanes and someone warns you that they already occupy that space by honking their horn, headphones keep you from hearing the horn.  A crash could happen.

Two other important sounds can be missed when driving with headphones.  Car problems are often found by hearing what is happening in the engine while driving.  In addition, emergency vehicles need you to get out of the way when they are trying to get to an emergency.  Headphones may block out the sound of an approaching emergency vehicle.

Choose to drive safely.  Keep your ears clear so that you can avoid emergencies instead of getting involved in one.

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Part 4: Driving with Something or Someone in your Lap

Dog driving a car

(Series:  10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving)

Seeing a car moving down the road with a big dog head leaning out the back window often causes a smile. Unfortunately, it is common for people to drive with their pet or even their child in their lap, and that is unsafe.

For the driver, they are trying to show care and affection as they pet their dog (or other animal).  It is not as common to see a child sitting in their lap, but when it happens you know that the adult probably has good intentions allowing the kid to have the awesome feeling of controlling the vehicle.

It’s a recipe for disaster.

Having something in your lap while driving is a distraction.  We have already discussed distracted driving.  Adding freewill to whatever on your knees greatly increases the risk of something going wrong.  For animals, they can be unpredictable and their sudden movements can cause a crash.  For children, its simply illegal and unsafe to transport a child in a car without an appropriate car seat.

Choose to drive safely. Keep your lap unoccupied and your vehicle occupants safe.