Foremost Insurance Group

Tips for Parents of New Drivers

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Parents of teen drivers usually experience some white knuckle moments when their children take to the road. It’s understandable. The statistics are frightening – teenage drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group and it’s largely due to driver error. They’re inexperienced and their behavior on the road is sometimes juvenile, with tailgating and speeding being two typical – and dangerous – teen driving behaviors.

Like a lot of parental responsibilities, this one starts long before your kids are driving age. As you know, children learn by example. So if you’re an aggressive, driver, don’t be surprised if your teenager emulates your driving style – and challenges you if you say anything about it.

Foremost Insurance offers some do’s and don’ts to make sure your kids have a good example:

Don’t drink and drive
Don’t talk on your cell phone while driving and don’t text your kids from your car.
Don’t speed.
Don’t talk your way out of a ticket and brag about it.
Wear your seat belt – always, no exceptions.
Talk with your kids about driving safety long before driver’s training.

Some parents start the process very early on family trips, discussing what they see other drivers doing that’s illegal and unsafe, and why it’s unsafe. For example, when you see someone passing on the right say “See that guy passing on the right? Not only is that illegal, it’s dangerous. The driver he’s going past on the left would have a hard time seeing him if he were to decide to move over.”

Off to a good start

When you have a teen with a learner’s permit at home, get them out on the road with you. They’ll be eager to drive and happy to go. And you’ll have a chance to observe what they do well and coach them on good driving behavior. There’s no substitute for the learning that occurs with each mile driven. Time behind the wheel inspires confidence and leads to better driving skills.

Setting limits

Some parents restrict night driving in the first few months after their teen gets a license. Then they may loosen that to no night driving with friends. Once your teen is allowed to drive at night, make sure they know that they should never get in a car and drive if they’ve been under the influence or take a ride with someone who’s intoxicated. Let them know that you’ll be home and available to pick them up if needed. Thirteen percent of teenage drivers in fatal crashes had blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher. That’s legally drunk in most states.

Know who your kids are going places with. Talk to the other kids who will be driving your teen or who’ll be riding with your teen. Let them know your expectations, just as you let your kids know what you expect from them. If your kids are passengers, make sure you know whether the driver they’ll be traveling with is responsible. Unfortunately a lot of kids who are killed or injured in crashes are passengers, not drivers. And give your kids an out. Let them rely on your tough rules as a way of saying no to a situation they know might be dangerous.

Driver distractions and multi-tasking

Talk with your teen about driver distractions – cell phones and texting, of course, but also chatting with friends, tuning the radio or playing it loudly, changing music, eating in the car or trying to read the map while the car’s still moving are all distractions that are dangerous behaviors for any driver and especially for inexperienced drivers. If you have a daughter who’s reached driving age, make sure she does her hair and makeup before she leaves the house – not on the road. Preening in the mirror for a couple seconds – for boys or girls -- can be just enough distraction to cause a crash.

Teenagers aren’t the only drivers who multitask on the road – but they, along with young adults, do it in greater percentages than any other group of drivers. Almost 90 percent of teenagers admit that they’ve used a cell phone when driving or know someone who does, but as a whole only 35 percent of Gen Y (individuals approximately ages 17 to 27) admit multitasking while driving. That compares with 30 percent of GenX and 21 percent of the Baby Boom generation.

Keep emotions out of the car

Teenage emotions run on a rollercoaster. If you have teens in the house you’re well aware of emotional changes. Take those emotions on the road and you’ve got a volatile, dangerous situation. Driving when angry is comparable to driving drunk because it impairs judgment. And it too often leads to speeding. Teens are better off going out for a walk or a run if they need to cool off.

Of course we all know that teenagers often tune out the safety advice given them by adults. So, what do you do to influence your children to drive safely? One way might be to help them find sites on the Web that are done by teens themselves to help promote safe driving. Another might be cluing them in on some of the things you’ve learned over time – and maybe take for granted – that make driving easier and safer. Chances are they’ll listen to other teens even if they don’t want to listen to you.

Foremost Insurance wants to help you travel safely and get the most out of your driving experiences whether it’s a trip to the grocery store or a trip our across the country. For more information about Foremost auto insurance programs visit our Web site at Foremost.com, our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/foremostinsurance or our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/foremost.