The thought of having your teenager start driving can be nothing short of a nightmare depending on their personality and regular behavior. The most important thing that can be done is to set ground rules especially if they are using the family car. You do not want to have your lenience lead to your teen being involved in a serious accident that could have been avoided. In worse circumstances they can be charged criminally if they are caught even with a trace of alcohol in their system due to them being underage. The following are tips that will help your teenage driver stay safe.
Get A Summer Job To Pay Car Insurance
A teenage driver is much more apt to drive safely when paying for their own insurance. They understand that one speeding ticket can make it impossible to insure themselves and make it clear you will not pay for the increase. This will teach your teen that nothing will be handed to them and having a consistent summer job each year can help keep them out of trouble. Matching the money they make and save over the summer to purchase a new car can be matched as you want your teen driving a car that will be safe on the road instead of a junker that might break down at any time.
Pay For Insurance If Grades Are High During School Year
Paying for insurance during the school year if your child is performing well in school or academics can help motivate them to continue their high performance. According to The Money Alert certain insurance companies are more likely to give those students with higher grades lower insurance premiums as they have demonstrated responsibility in the classroom. Grades can set your teen up for success in the long term so stressing these is imperative. If your teen wants to work as well as has their grades up then this shows a large amount of responsibility which is already being rewarded by covering their car insurance.
Limit Number of Passengers Allowed In Car
Limiting the number of passengers allowed in the car is for one reason and that is driving distracted. This could mean loud talking or even someone constantly switching songs on the radio. The last thing that anyone wants to happen is for your teen to get into an accident and injure their friends. Limiting the number of passengers should be done until your teen have proven themselves to be a reliable driver with distractions not bothering them.
Zero Tolerance For Driving Impaired
Your teen is going to be on the family insurance plan and as a parent there should be no tolerance for impaired driving. Not only can they hurt someone they can change their future in a huge way with a DUI conviction as colleges look at the criminal records of those applicants trying to get into a specific college. With the rideshare apps like Uber this is no longer an excuse but many teens would rather risk it than have a tough conversation with parents about underage drinking.
