Teens. They know everything. They in fact continue to know everything right up until the age of about 22 or 23, when real life renders them just another cog in the slow moving rat race. Then, they realize they know nothing, and with any luck will buckle down to carve their career. It just so happens that during those late teenage years (and early twenties), when their hollow confidence is at its height, is exactly when they are likely to pass their driving test and take to the roads unsupervised. Hmm. There’s a reason that car insurance companies typically charge increased premiums for first time teenage drivers.
Road accidents cost lives, or they can result in injury that will not only ruin your day, but could result in days, weeks, months, and sometimes even years or hardship during recovery. If you’ve been affected by a road accident that was not your fault, you need to find out what to do next. Contact a PI lawyer based in Myrtle Beach for more information. If you’re worried about your teen driver becoming a car accident statistic, you need to know how to keep them safe…
Are they actually ready for driving alone?
Driving alone in the wild is one of the most nerve wracking experiences anyone can go through. Other road users want you to speed up, or move out of the way, or move over faster, or stop slowing down so early, etc. It’s hard to be the new kid on the block that doesn’t know the rules yet. If you suspect that your teenage driver is not emotionally ready for the experience of holding their own out there on the fast moving streets, there are things you can do.
First, you can simply go driving with them in the evenings when there are fewer cars to get in the way. This will build confidence, not in terms of vehicle handling, but in terms of getting to know the local area.
Second, you can pay for extra courses – just because your teen driver has passed their driving test, doesn’t mean that additional courses aren’t needed (extra courses beyond the driving test are designed to assist people with developing their driving abilities beyond that which is required to pass the standard test).
Maintenance and manoeuvres
Few teens will be aware of how to refill the window washer jets with water, and many will not even know how to check and alter tire pressures (I once overheard a friend’s son ask if he could bring the car home from college this weekend for air, because he only had a few bank notes left in his wallet and didn’t know if he had enough money!).
Many teens will also have forgotten how to perform certain staples of the practical driving test, such as reverse parking and parallel parking. Spend time with them ensuring they know these things, and the chances of them operating an unfit vehicle or causing a crash through inexperience will be significantly decreased.