For the study, teen and adult drivers took a 35-minute “drive” in a simulated driving assessment (SDA). The drive included 22 of the high-risk conditions most likely to cause new drivers to crash. More than four in ten of the teens crashed during the simulation, and that was without distractions like texting or having passengers the same age in the car. Less than a third of the adults had problems in the same situations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=”” seperator_1=”” ts_row_bg_effects=”” ts_row_bg_image=”” ts_row_bg_source=”full” ts_row_break_parents=”4″ ts_row_zindex=”0″ ts_row_min_height=”100″ ts_row_bg_position=”center” ts_row_bg_position_custom=”” ts_row_bg_size_standard=”cover” ts_row_bg_size_parallax=”cover” ts_row_bg_repeat=”no-repeat” seperator_2=”” ts_row_parallax_type=”up” ts_row_bg_alignment_v=”center” ts_row_bg_alignment_h=”center” ts_row_parallax_speed=”20″ seperator_3=”” ts_row_automove_speed=”75″ ts_row_automove_scroll=”true” ts_row_automove_align=”horizontal” ts_row_automove_path_h=”leftright” ts_row_automove_path_v=”topbottom” seperator_4=”” padding_top=”30″ padding_bottom=”30″ margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”0″ single_color=”#ffffff” seperator_5=”” gradient_angle=”0″ gradient_color_start=”#cccccc” gradient_start_offset=”0″ gradient_color_end=”#cccccc” gradient_end_offset=”100″ seperator_6=”” video_youtube=”” video_background=”” video_mute=”true” video_loop=”false” video_start=”false” video_stop=”true” video_controls=”true” video_raster=”false” animation_view=”” css3animations_in=”” animation_scroll=”false” animation_speed=”2000″ el_file1=”” el_file2=””][vc_column width=”1/1″ seperator_1=”Viewport Animation” animation_view=”” css3animations_in=”” animation_scroll=”false” animation_speed=”2000″ el_file1=”” el_file2=””][vc_column_text]The results are important. Every day, nearly seven teens between the ages of 16 and 19 die as the result of car crashes. That makes vehicle accidents the number one cause of death among teenagers. Safe and intelligent driving habits help teens and adults alike, and parents can help make a difference.
Here are a few suggestions on how to improve your teen’s driving skills:
Enroll Your Teen in a Driving School
Not every parent has the time or experience to coach a new driver. Professionals understand the skills new drivers need and often have more patience with teens than parents might. Our driving instructors are well-versed in the best ways to teach new drivers to keep safe on the road and avoid distractions.
Work on Advanced Skills
Make sure your teen knows how to brake in hazardous situations — and how to watch for and analyze potential hazards. Adults often take these skills for granted because they’ve been driving for so long. Also, if you live where the weather makes a difference in driving conditions, practice the necessary skills with your teen.
If you’d like your teen to have some extra time with a driving instructor sign your new driver up for a 2-hour in-vehicle mentoring session.
Practice What You Preach
If you want your teen to drive safely, be a model driver. That means maintaining a safe distance between cars at various speeds, obeying speed limits, passing safely — especially on secondary roads with a dotted line — and taking extra time to scan before making left turns. Talk to your teen about what you’re doing and why.
If you need a refresher course or two on driving safely we offer a selection of quick online driving courses.
Give Specific Instructions
Tell teen drivers when and how to apply the brake pedal or let up on the gas, rather than just warning them to slow down. The more a new driver knows why they need to do something the better they’ll understand in the future. Encourage them to watch the bigger picture — thinking about whether a stoplight is about to turn red, for example, so they cut their speed without needing to slam on the brakes. Teach them how to keep their focus on driving and to shut out distractions.
The SDA was developed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention. Researchers there and at the University of Pennsylvania hope the assessment will help pinpoint the skills new drivers need to practice behind the wheel with professional driving instructors or with parents.
Driving is an important skill for teens — it’s often important for getting and holding a job and building the independence teens need as they prepare for life away from their parents. Help your teens stay safe on the road and enroll them in one of Top Driver’s driver education courses.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]